Book Image

Quantum Computing Algorithms

By : Barry Burd
5 (1)
Book Image

Quantum Computing Algorithms

5 (1)
By: Barry Burd

Overview of this book

Navigate the quantum computing spectrum with this book, bridging the gap between abstract, math-heavy texts and math-avoidant beginner guides. Unlike intermediate-level books that often leave gaps in comprehension, this all-encompassing guide offers the missing links you need to truly understand the subject. Balancing intuition and rigor, this book empowers you to become a master of quantum algorithms. No longer confined to canned examples, you'll acquire the skills necessary to craft your own quantum code. Quantum Computing Algorithms is organized into four sections to build your expertise progressively. The first section lays the foundation with essential quantum concepts, ensuring that you grasp qubits, their representation, and their transformations. Moving to quantum algorithms, the second section focuses on pivotal algorithms — specifically, quantum key distribution and teleportation. The third section demonstrates the transformative power of algorithms that outpace classical computation and makes way for the fourth section, helping you to expand your horizons by exploring alternative quantum computing models. By the end of this book, quantum algorithms will cease to be mystifying as you make this knowledge your asset and enter a new era of computation, where you have the power to shape the code of reality.
Table of Contents (19 chapters)
Free Chapter
2
Part 1 Nuts and Bolts
7
Part 2 Making Qubits Work for You
10
Part 3 Quantum Computing Algorithms
14
Part 4 Beyond Gate-Based Quantum Computing

Baby steps toward quantum computing

The idea for quantum computing came in 1981 with presentations by Paul Benioff and Richard Feynman at the First Conference on the Physics of Computation. Fast forward to 1998, when the world’s first quantum computer had only two qubits.

Tip

For more information about the First Conference, the two-qubit computer, and other topics in this Introduction, refer to this chapter's Further reading section. You wouldn’t buy a laptop whose chip could process only two bits. In the same way, you wouldn’t expect a two-qubit quantum computer to solve your puzzling mathematical problems.

By 2006, the world had 12-qubit quantum computers. And by 2017, we had 50-qubit computers. The number of qubits in most advanced quantum computers of the early 2020s is in the low-to-mid hundreds. Compare this with a typical laptop’s memory, which stores about 64 billion bits.

Of course, the answer you get when you ask for a count of...