Shot Noise

 Got a question about the number of possible outcomes when asking 

for a 'counts' reading. Below, from Meta:

                                                                  

So it is not a simple permutations problem, and there may be results that are dropped...

Looking at what happens with the SV algorithm:

                                                                    

                                                                               

So a 4 qubit circuit is pulling in 12 results(and not the theoretical 16).

*     *     *

Things play out differently if I insist on 16 basis states.

The circuit now looks like this...

                                                                        

                                                                              

And there is great variability: