The invention of the computer is often articulated like a three-act play: the idea of the computer arrives, then there is the process of how to make the computer and, finally, there is the creation.

Even if you’ve never set foot inside a physics classroom, you probably have a pretty solid grasp of the laws governing how objects move and behave. Throw a basketball against a wall and it bounces off ...

For all the hype surrounding quantum computers, the technology can sometimes appear to be a solution in search of a problem. Scientifically impressive, but not yet obviously useful in the real world.