> In quantum computing, the classical two-state circuit element (the transistor) is replaced by a quantum element called a quantum bit, or qubit.<p>> In contrast to a classical bit, which can only be in one of its two basic states, a qubit can be in any of a continuum of possible states, as defined by the values of the quantum amplitudes α and β.<p>The thing is a transistor also exists in multiple states, and the transition between states is a continuous function. Anyone with some exposure to solid state physics will know this. It's a thresholding operation that turns what is a pure analog component into something digital. That IEEE published this surprises me, after all the well known Journal of Solid State Circuits is full of transistor designs behaving in decidedly analog (read: continuous) ways.