Quantum computing is poised to become many times more efficient than our current computers, yet no one seems to know that it’s happening. In 2019, Google demonstrated quantum supremacy, where an actual quantum computer solved a complex math problem in 200 seconds which would have taken today’s supercomputers around 10,000 years to solve. Companies like Google, IBM, Amazon, and Microsoft, as well as universities such as Harvard, MIT, University of Chicago, University of Maryland, Yale, and more have all established their own quantum computing departments in order to advance quantum computing research. A world where quantum computing plays a significant role if it hasn’t arrived yet, will arrive very soon.
In this lecture, I cover a quick introduction to quantum computing. After this lecture, students will be able to understand the difference between quantum computing and classical computing, how quantum computers are able to solve problems faster than classical computers, and some of the projected applications of quantum computing.
Here I introduce the qubit, the basic unit of information in quantum computing. I show how the qubit is represented in bra-ket (dirac) notation and in matrix form. I will also provide a quick review of matrix multiplication, as this will be important for many of the coming lectures. Students will be able to represent qubits in bra-ket notation and matrix form.
Superposition is one of the three quantum mechanical phenomena quantum computers use to gain a quantum advantage. Students will understand what superposition is, how it is represented, how it is created, and how it allows quantum computers to gain a quantum advantage.
Single qubit quantum gates are quantum gates that manipulate the state of a single qubit. This is useful in quantum algorithms as it helps us gain the specific quantum state which will be the solution to the algorithm. Students will be able to understand how the X, Y, Z, and Hadamard gates are used in order to change a quantum state through matrix multiplication.
Entanglement is the second of the three quantum mechanical phenomena quantum computers use to gain a quantum advantage. Students will understand what entanglement is, how it is represented, how it is created, and how it allows quantum computers to gain a quantum advantage.
Interference is the last of the three quantum mechanical phenomena quantum computers use to gain a quantum advantage. Students will understand what interference is, how it is represented, how it is created, and how it allows quantum computers to gain a quantum advantage.
Quantum circuits are simply a series of quantum gates. Quantum algorithms create specific quantum circuits in order to solve certain problems. In this lecture, I cover how a quantum circuit is created, what they look like, and some of the common symbols for quantum gates.
The quantum stack is the system that manipulates your code into what is actually run on the quantum computer. After this lecture, students will understand the different levels of the quantum stack which make the quantum computer run.
Quantum computing is a rapidly developing field, and not every application has been discovered yet. In this lecture, I outline some of the projected applications of quantum computing and why quantum computing has the possibility to revolutionize these industries. I will also cover how some companies are using quantum computers in their industries today.
The future of quantum computing is bright, but it can be daunting at first when diving into such a dynamic and ever-changing landscape. Students will understand how to become further involved in quantum computing including the education needed. Additionally, students will understand the current quantum scene, including companies, universities, government, and research.
Teacher: Richard Wang
If you have any questions about the course, please email: info.quantummind@gmail.com