book

Quantum Computing For Dummies

by whurley, Floyd Earl Smith

September 2023

Beginner

400 pages

10h 39m

English

For Dummies

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Copyright
About This BookFoolish AssumptionsIcons Used in This BookBeyond the BookWhere to Go from Here
Understanding Why Quantum Computing Is So StrangeGrasping the Power of Quantum ComputingDoing the Math for the Power of Quantum ComputingExamining What Quantum Computing Will Do for PeopleDescribing Different Types of Quantum ComputingAddressing What’s Stopping Us
Understanding Why Classical Computers Are Not Going AwayLooking Back to the Prehistory of ComputersTracking the Emergence of Classical ComputingJoining Classical Computing and Quantum Computing
Identifying the Keys to Quantum MechanicsIdentifying the Effect of UncertaintySummarizing the History of Quantum Mechanics
Finding Lasers at the Cutting EdgeStudying Quantum Mechanics After 1930Speeding the Race for Solar Cells (1890s)Eyeing Electron Microscopes (1931, 1965, and 1981)Optimizing the Transistor (1947)Telling Time with Atomic Clocks (1955)Heating Up Masers and Lasers (1953 and 1960)Scanning for NMR and MRI Devices (1977)Assessing the Effects of Quantum Technology 1.0
Nailing Together a Framework for Quantum ComputingTheorizing in the 1960s and 1970sLaying the Groundwork in the 1980sBreaking through in the 1990s with Algorithms and HardwareStarting Today’s Quantum Computing Race
Pushing Technical Progress Forward, 2000–2010Investing More Resources from 2010-2015Bending the Arc of Progress Upward, 2016 to TodayFinding Out What’s Still Needed for Quantum Computing

Identifying Limitations in Classical ComputingFinding What’s Right with Quantum Computing
Identifying Five Classes of SolutionsDancing to That AlgorithmDeciding Whether to Start NowGetting Your Organization InvolvedConsidering Quantum-Inspired Solutions
Analyzing the StackConsidering the Annealing AlternativeChoosing a Type of Quantum Computer
Identifying Three Levels of Qubit AchievementWinning the Race for Focused Quantum AdvantageVisiting the Qubit ZooMapping Out the Modalities LandscapeFiguring Out What’s Next
Telling the Players Apart with a ScorecardChoosing a Strategy for Quantum Computing
Figuring Out What We Are DoingFiguring Out How to Do ItGetting Down to the BASICsWriting the Requirements for a Quantum ProgramThinking Like a DeveloperSetting Up a Development EnvironmentFinding Where to Get Your Quantum OnSinging QAOA-oooooBreaking Down a Quantum AlgorithmAsking Where Do We Go Now?
Thinking in TriplicateCracking Cryptography with QuantumFinding Waldo in a Sea of Striped HatsGrabbing That CashInsuring That Quantum Makes Its MarkMaking the World Go Round with LogisticsDreaming of Machines LearningSearching for the New Oil in QuantumMaking Materialism MatterSimulating Our Way to Better HealthFinding New PharmaceuticalsForecasting Future Fog
Mapping Quantum Computing Algorithms to ApplicationsUnderstanding the Basics of Quantum AlgorithmsVisiting the Quantum ZooFinding New Kinds of TimeStarting with the Deutsch-Jozsa AlgorithmMaking Shor Quantum Computing Will Be BigSearching with GroverUsing the Quantum Phase Estimation AlgorithmApplying Simon's AlgorithmImplementing the Quantum Fourier Transform (QFT) AlgorithmStepping into Vaidman's Quantum Zeno EffectGetting Linear with the HHL AlgorithmSolving and Simulating with QAOAGetting Grounded with VQEAssessing Additional AlgorithmsIdentifying What’s Ahead
Exploring the Major Types of OptionsNoting the Importance of Amazon BraketCounting on Azure QuantumInvestigating Google Quantum AIOpening Quantum Computer Vendor’s PortalsUnlocking Quantum Potential with Strangeworks
Connecting with Online ClassesTrying Tutorials and DocumentationSkipping through Unstructured StudyGetting into Interaction and Fun
Myth 1: Quantum Computing Won't Be Commercially Available for 10–15 YearsMyth 2: A Qubit Can Be a 0 and a 1 at the Same TimeMyth 3: Quantum Computers Will Replace Classical ComputersMyth 4: Only a Physicist Can Program Quantum ComputersMyth 5: Quantum Computers Will Soon Solve All Classical Computer ProblemsMyth 6: We Should All “Shut Up and Calculate”Myth 7: Soon There Will Be Only a Small Number of Quantum Hardware CompaniesMyth 8: Quantum Companies Have All the Talent They Need to Grow the IndustryMyth 9: Quantum Computing Will Destroy Data EncryptionMyth 10: Quantum-Safe Cryptography Provides Complete Data Security
Will Quantum Technology Find Its Way into a Consumer Product?Is the Quantum Realm Real? Will Ant-Man Save Our World?How Do You Explain Quantum Computing to a Dummy?Where Is the Quantum Computing Field Going?When Will Quantum Computing Become Commercially Practical?What Is the Coolest Application of Quantum Computing?Where Will Quantum Computing Be the Most Disruptive?How Long Until Shor's Algorithm Breaks RSA?How Can You Use Quantum Computing in Manufacturing?Where Is the Overlap Between Quantum Computing and AI/ML?
How Can I Evaluate the Market for a New Company, Product, or Service?How Do I Evaluate My Employer’s Need to Be an Early Adopter (or Not)?What Roles and Jobs Are Needed in the Current Stage of Development?What Background Is Needed to Learn Quantum Computer Coding?What Advice Can You Give to First-Timers?What University Programs Would You Recommend?Who Is the Current Leading Developer of Quantum Computing?What Should I Do if I Have an Idea for a Startup?What Habits Have Helped You in Your Career?What Are Your Biggest Lessons Learned?
University of Oxford, UKUniversity of California, BerkeleyStanford UniversityCal TechMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyHarvard UniversityUniversity of ChicagoUniversity of MarylandUniversity of WaterlooUniversity of New South Wales, Sydney

Content preview from Quantum Computing For Dummies

Chapter 18

Ten Tech Questions Answered

IN THIS CHAPTER

Looking for Ant-Man when you need him

Estimating the arrival date for practical quantum computing results

Anticipating the results when quantum computing meets AI

One of the authors (whurley) gives a lot of quantum computing talks at conferences and other events around the world. The following questions about quantum-based technologies in general, and quantum computing in particular, are from recent talks. This chapter focuses on questions about the technology, starting with a couple of questions about quantum mechanics in general and followed by questions about quantum computing. See the next chapter for a related set of questions about the business of quantum computing.

Will Quantum Technology Find Its Way into a Consumer Product?

The basic principles of quantum mechanics were set out between 1900 and 1930, as described in Chapter 3. But practical uses of quantum technology followed quickly, including television (1927), the atomic bomb (1945), and lasers (1960).

Questions important to quantum computing have been considered for centuries, but the first proposal for a quantum computer was put forth by Richard Feynman in the ...