Five-Project Series

Learn Quantum Computing with IBM Qiskit you own this product

prerequisites
basic Python • basic math (algebra and geometry)
skills learned
install and test IBM Qiskit • create and use qubits, quantum registers, and quantum circuits with Python and Qiskit • work with quantum algorithms
Tony Holdroyd
5 weeks · 3-5 hours per week average · BEGINNER

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Action at a Distance Corporation believes that quantum computers will soon outperform their classical counterparts. That’s why the consortium of venture capitalists feels that the time to invest in quantum startups is now. It’s counting on its resident researcher—that’s you!—to level up your quantum computing knowledge and evaluate proposals from hopeful quantum startups.

In this series of liveProjects, you’ll develop core quantum computing skills using the open-source Qiskit development environment, identify viable quantum applications, discover what the “quantum advantage” is, and determine the major players in the quantum race. Throughout the series, you’ll prepare brief notes for the consortium, sharing what you’ve learned. When you’re finished, you’ll have developed core quantum programming skills and will understand the value of quantum computing.

These projects are designed for learning purposes and are not complete, production-ready applications or solutions.

I would recommend this course for people who want to get started with QisKit.

Maximilian von Hohenbühel, technical student, CERN

Manning author Tony Holdroyd shares what he likes about the Manning liveProject platform.

here's what's included

Project 1 Initialize Qubits and Run Quantum Circuits

Enter the world of quantum computing and discover how quantum computers solve problems in a fraction of the time. You’re a researcher for Action at a Distance Corporation, a consortium of venture capitalists who believe the time to learn about and invest in quantum computing startups is now. Your task is to learn fundamental quantum computing skills so you can evaluate proposals from quantum startups and brief the consortium’s partners. Get familiar with the Qiskit environment as you create your own Qiskit programming Python imports template, then discover features of the Qiskit ecosystem as you add code to your template. You’ll set up a quantum circuit, getting first-hand experience with amplitudes and probabilities associated with quantum states. With these fundamentals under your belt, you’ll prepare brief notes for your report to the consortium, researching which companies will be the major players in the quantum race, what types of quantum hardware they’re pursuing, and what exactly is the “quantum advantage.”

Project 2 Manipulate Qubits with Quantum Gates

Action at a Distance Corporation, a consortium of venture capitalists, believes that now is the time to invest in quantum computing startups. As its resident researcher, your job is to get familiar with quantum techniques and applications. You’ll code quantum circuits involving four different quantum gates, the fundamental processing units of quantum. You’ll visualize the effects of the gates, run and measure the circuits, and use IBM Quantum Composer to demonstrate the use of the gates. With a deeper understanding of quantum, you’ll investigate major quantum use cases to help the consortium determine whether or not the startups’ proposals have commercial applications.

Project 3 Run Two-Qubit Circuits

Get tangled up in quantum computing! Action at a Distance Corporation, a consortium of venture capitalists, believes the time to invest in quantum computing startups is now. As the consortium’s resident researcher, your task is to understand the power of quantum computing.

You’ll learn to recognize normalized quantum states of two qubits, a key skill in implementing quantum algorithms. You’ll get familiar with the Controlled Not (CNOT) gate, vital to the construction of important, entangled states, and you’ll observe what Einstein called “spooky action at a distance” as you program the (famous!) entangled Bell states. Using the IBM Quantum Composer, you’ll visualize and animate quantum circuits, gaining insight into handling gates and their outcomes.

Project 4 Run Circuits on Quantum Hardware

Action at a Distance Corporation, a consortium of venture capitalists, believes that the time to invest in quantum computing startups is now. As the consortium’s researcher, your task is to gain knowledge of quantum computing capabilities.

You’ll explore matrix representations—mathematical underpinnings of quantum computing—and examine quantum circuits that use different arrangements of gates to achieve identical functionality. You’ll upgrade your quantum toolbox with phase kickback, an essential component of many quantum algorithms, and you’ll work with Bloch spheres, a way of visually representing qubits. You’ll then use two different methods to run a circuit on IBM quantum hardware, a task that will be commonplace in the not-so-distant future.

Project 5 Develop Quantum Algorithms

As the researcher for venture capital firm Action at a Distance Corporation your job is to evaluate proposals from quantum startups hoping to secure an investment. But first, you need to expand your knowledge of quantum computing.

You’ll build your quantum muscles by investigating and coding key quantum algorithms including the quantum teleportation algorithm, the quantum phase estimation algorithm, the quantum Fourier transform algorithm, and Grover’s algorithm. With your new knowledge, you’ll compose a brief report about whether or not now is the right time to invest in quantum startups.

book resources

When you start each of the projects in this series, you'll get full access to the following book for 90 days.

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This is a very well constructed course about a very interesting and exciting subject, and it is evident how much work has gone into putting it together.

Paul Byford, freelance engineer and director, Psiber Ltd.

I enjoyed this series and found it to be a good guide to learning about Qiskit and quantum computing.

Gary Pass, owner, Infotron

project author

Tony Holdroyd

Tony Holdroyd has a master’s degree in computer science with postgraduate work in mathematics and shares his expertise in those subjects as a retired senior lecturer. Before retiring, he specialized in researching and teaching programming languages and led a number of teams that won significant contracts for degree-level courses from several educational institutions in the UK. Since retiring, he’s worked as a technical reviewer and beta-tester for a variety of major U.S. publishers, as well as being a published author in the machine learning space.

Prerequisites

This liveProject series is for anyone with basic algebra and geometry skills, basic Python programming skills, and a strong interest in learning about the physical principles and techniques of quantum programming using IBM Qiskit. To begin these liveProjects you’ll need to be familiar with the following:

TOOLS
  • Python programming basics
  • Basic algebra (equations and surds)
  • Basic linear algebra (vectors and matrices)
  • Basic geometry (diagrams and angles)
  • Basic complex numbers (format and simple manipulation)
  • Basic probability (using fractions and normalization)
  • Basic classical computing
TECHNIQUES
  • Use the command line in a terminal
  • Create a virtual environment in Python using Conda or otherwise
  • Install packages into a Python virtual environment using pip
  • Code and run Python programs using Jupyter Notebook

features

Self-paced
You choose the schedule and decide how much time to invest as you build your project.
Project roadmap
Each project is divided into several achievable steps.
Get Help
While within the liveProject platform, get help from other participants and our expert mentors.
Compare with others
For each step, compare your deliverable to the solutions by the author and other participants.
book resources
Get full access to select books for 90 days. Permanent access to excerpts from Manning products are also included, as well as references to other resources.