Book Image

Dancing with Qubits

By : Robert S. Sutor
5 (1)
Book Image

Dancing with Qubits

5 (1)
By: Robert S. Sutor

Overview of this book

Quantum computing is making us change the way we think about computers. Quantum bits, a.k.a. qubits, can make it possible to solve problems that would otherwise be intractable with current computing technology. Dancing with Qubits is a quantum computing textbook that starts with an overview of why quantum computing is so different from classical computing and describes several industry use cases where it can have a major impact. From there it moves on to a fuller description of classical computing and the mathematical underpinnings necessary to understand such concepts as superposition, entanglement, and interference. Next up is circuits and algorithms, both basic and more sophisticated. It then nicely moves on to provide a survey of the physics and engineering ideas behind how quantum computing hardware is built. Finally, the book looks to the future and gives you guidance on understanding how further developments will affect you. Really understanding quantum computing requires a lot of math, and this book doesn't shy away from the necessary math concepts you'll need. Each topic is introduced and explained thoroughly, in clear English with helpful examples.
Table of Contents (16 chapters)
Preface
13
Afterword

4.7 Summary

After handling algebra in the last chapter, we tackled geometry here. The concept of ‘‘function’’ is core to most of mathematics and its application areas like physics. Functions allow us to connect one or more inputs with some kind of useful output. Plotting functions is a good way to visualize their behavior.

Two- and three-dimensional spaces are familiar to us and we learned and reviewed the common tools to allow us to effectively use them. Trigonometry demonstrates beautiful connections between algebra and geometry and falls out naturally from relationships like the Pythagorean theorem.

The complex ‘‘plane’’ is like the real plane R2 but the algebra and geometry gives more structure than points alone can provide. Euler’s formula nicely ties together complex numbers and trigonometry in an easy-to-use notation that is the basis for how we define many quantum operations in chapter 7

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