Quantum Physics for Software Developers

Roger Penrose once said "Quantum mechanics makes absolutely no sense," while Richard Feynman concluded "I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics." These aren't just provocative statements - they reflect the profound challenge of reconciling quantum behavior with our everyday experience. As software developers, we possess a unique advantage in learning about quantum behavior: we can reason about it through code. Instead of requiring million-dollar laboratory equipment, we can explore quantum phenomena by writing programs for quantum computers (in this session: using Q#). We can actually implement and observe quantum superposition (where particles exist in multiple states simultaneously), entanglement (Einstein's "spooky action at distance"), and wave-particle duality through simple code examples. This talk isn't about building useful software. Instead, we'll leverage our developer mindset to gain an intuitive understanding of the quantum principles that govern our reality. Through analogies between quantum computing code and laboratory experiments, we'll explore why Nobel laureate Anton Zeilinger concluded that "the world is not as real as we think." You will probably not learn anything useful for your job, but may just walk away with a deeper appreciation of reality itself.