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

5
Dimensions

... from a purely mathematical point of view
it’s just as easy to think in 11 dimensions,
as it is to think in three or four.

Stephen Hawking [1]

We are familiar with many properties of objects like lines and circles in two dimensions, and cubes and spheres in three dimensions. If I ask you how long something is, you might take out a ruler or a tape measure. When you take a photo, you rotate your camera or phone in three dimensions without thinking too much about it.

Alas, there is math behind all these actions. The notion of something existing in one or more dimensions, indeed even the idea of what a dimension is, must be made more formal if we are to perform calculations. This is the concept of vector spaces. The study of what they are and what you can do with them is called linear algebra.

Linear algebra is essential to pure and applied mathematics, physics, engineering, and the parts of computer...