Quantum mechanics emerged in the 1920s to describe certain puzzling behaviors of

elementary constituents of matter and light. It revolutionized physics and

chemistry and led to inventions like the transistor, lasers, and GPS. In time, we
came to understand that information itself can be acquired, encoded, and
manipulated in quantum systems, giving birth to the new field of quantum
information science (QIS). QIS studies how information science relates to quantum
mechanical effects, and the field is highly multidisciplinary. In QIS, the work of
physicists, computer scientists, mathematicians, materials scientists, chemists,
and engineers comes together to tackle challenges in areas such as cryptography,
logistics, optimization, and across the natural sciences. Notably, QIS can be
applied to solve computing problems previously assumed to be out of reach without
massive amounts of resources or compute time.

QIS in the form of quantum computing is projected to become a revolutionary

computational model. A quantum computer encodes information and operates on
information in a fundamentally different manner than implemented in a classical
computer such as a laptop or supercomputer. These differences in the computational
model may allow a quantum computer to solve some types of problems at a much faster
rate than ever demonstrated before. In this course, the principles of quantum
computing will be introduced in an intuitive manner. Supporting mathematics needed
to understand quantum operations will be introduced on an as-needed basis. The only
prerequisites are a basic understanding of algebra as well as the desire to learn
more about an emerging and disruptive technology.

This course will proceed as follows. First, we introduce you to quantum

applications and what the hardware looks like. Then, we will gradually build your
knowledge of quantum computing. In general, we’ll start with an intuitive
introduction to a quantum mechanics phenomenon, followed by quantum operations that
exploit that phenomenon. Next, we will introduce the quantum notation that we use
to communicate those concepts. Finally, we’ll go through the mathematical
calculations related to that concept. By the end of this course, you will have
enough understanding to examine a well-known quantum algorithm, Deutsch’s
algorithm.

After finishing this course, you will be able to answer the following questions:

How are quantum computers and classical computers different?

How does quantum computing leverage phenomena from quantum mechanics? How does this
give quantum computers an advantage?
What is a quantum operation and circuit?
What is entanglement?
What kind of problems will quantum computer algorithms solve that are challenging
for classical computers?