I'd like to know what rung of the math ladder one need be on to grasp how a quantum computer computes.
I realize this might not be a simple answer, so I'm just looking for an idea of the broad topics required.
Thanks.
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1$\begingroup$ Linear algebra gets used a lot in quantum computing. $\endgroup$– SrivatsanNov 10, 2011 at 3:52
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1$\begingroup$ Fourier analysis on groups. $\endgroup$– anonNov 10, 2011 at 4:07
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$\begingroup$ To all that are interested in Quantum Information: The Quantum Information and Foundations proposal is currently in commitment phase. $\endgroup$– draks ...May 8, 2012 at 17:48
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2 Answers
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For the foundation you need to understand linear algebra, projective geometry and how to build circuits out of AND, OR, NOT gates. For the algorithms themselves, you need to know a little about rational approximations and the Fourier transformation. You can start to learn about Quantum Computing from here but I also recommend working through the book he wrote.
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Since all quantum algorithms I know, deal with finite dimensional system, knowledge of unitary groups $\text{U}(N)$ is important, because it governs the evolution of the finite quantum system without relaxation. For the QA to approximate the Jones Polynomial, it doesn't hurt to know something about knot theory.
answered Jan 11, 2012 at 18:59