The Secret Ingredient To Quantum Computing Mastery | by Frank Zickert | Quantum Machine Learning | May, 2022

It is not math or physics

The secret ingredient to quantum computing mastery is not a degree in physics — unless you want to develop hardware, of course.

But if you want to use quantum computing to solve problems no classical computer can solve, you don’t need to be a physicist. It is nice to have, but it is not mandatory.

Sure, quantum computing builds upon the strange phenomena of the subatomic only a sublime group of physicists understand. But how could someone use a technology he doesn’t understand?

I don’t know about you, but I do this every day. I don’t know how a microwave oven works.

“That’s too bold! This is a consumer device,” you say?

Fair enough. How about a classical computer?

I program classical computers for a living. I develop code to solve practical problems. So, I’d say I use computers beyond the everyday Cletus.

However, I don’t know (a lot about) how a computer works physically. I am not an expert in electrical engineering either. To admit, I gathered a little knowledge over the years. But this doesn’t help me in my everyday work at all.

Profound mathematical abilities are not the secret ingredient to quantum computing mastery either.

When you start your quantum computing journey, you will inevitably be confronted with a lot of math. It is intimidating. Some authors throw mathematical formulae at you without bothering to explain them.

These are as good as Egyptian hieroglyphs.

I have taken the trouble to work myself through quite a few of these formulae. It was sobering. Understanding most formulae have no practical use in solving problems with quantum computing.

Of course, working yourself through a formula fosters an understanding of the underlying concept. But this is not because of the precision of math. This is because you deal with the subject intensively.

If you’re genuinely interested in quantum computing, you will get used to mathematical notation. You’ll lay aside the awe. Finally, you regard an equation as if it was a word.

For instance, take this equation. It describes the quantum superposition. I explain this equation in this post.

If you spent a while in the field, you don’t even go through the parts of this equation anymore. Instead, you recognize it as the “quantum superposition” and all it entails. Being a mathematician may speed up things a little, but it is not decisive.

Finally, computer science is not the secret ingredient to mastering quantum computing, either. This one really hurts me! But it’s true.

As a computer scientist, you know how to solve problems using technology. You can apply logical reasoning. And you know how to write code.

These are all essential abilities you need to have. However, in mathematical jargon, these are sufficient but not necessary conditions.

In other words, once you master quantum computing, you’ll have these abilities. But these abilities do not necessarily imply that you will master quantum computing.

The secret ingredient to quantum computing mastery is domain knowledge. This is the understanding of the essential aspects of a specific business area.

If you want to use quantum computing to solve a problem, you need a deep understanding of the problem.

A quantum computer is not a faster or bigger classical computer. By contrast, it is slow (in terms of clock speed) and tiny (in terms of qubits). A quantum computer gets its power from the ability to solve problems in a fundamentally different way.

To really master quantum computing, you’ll need to understand how this different way maps to the problems you aim to solve.

You can’t just throw a quantum algorithm at a problem and say, “do it!”

But you have to savvily craft an algorithm that takes the essence of the problem and turns it into a solution. This is something you can’t do without knowing the problem inside out.

You can learn how quantum computing works from blog posts or a textbook.

This way, you’ll learn about the physical laws of quantum mechanics that govern how quantum computing works conceptually. Quantum superposition and entanglement sound like the stuff science fiction is made of. Just enjoy!

This way, you’ll struggle with lots of mathematical formulae. Try to understand the underlying concept before you work through equations. Solving equations helps to verify whether you understand the material. It is useless for grasping a concept in the first place.

This way, you’ll develop the ability to reason about problems and how to solve them, both classically and with a quantum computer.

But all the quantum computing experts won’t teach you much about the problem you aim to solve. So this is something you need to bring yourself.

And while there are blog posts and textbooks on every single problem in the world, practical experience in coping with the problem is crucial.

Whenever I worked on a problem in my professional career, I learned about the importance of nitty-gritty details described nowhere.

Sometimes these details were specific to the industry I was working in.

Sometimes they were specific to the company I worked at.

And sometimes, they were unique to the very problem I tried to solve.

Knowing the specificity of an important problem is the secret ingredient to quantum computing mastery. It is an unfair advantage you can exploit.

You can learn everything about quantum computing in books or online. But not even the brightest physicists, most brilliant mathematicians, or savviest computer scientists know the details of the problem in your domain.

The best they can do is to solve the problem in general. But usually, this is impossible — even for a quantum computer. But knowing these tiny details make a problem tractable — or a quantum algorithm applicable.

It is not math or physics

The secret ingredient to quantum computing mastery is not a degree in physics — unless you want to develop hardware, of course.

But if you want to use quantum computing to solve problems no classical computer can solve, you don’t need to be a physicist. It is nice to have, but it is not mandatory.

Sure, quantum computing builds upon the strange phenomena of the subatomic only a sublime group of physicists understand. But how could someone use a technology he doesn’t understand?

I don’t know about you, but I do this every day. I don’t know how a microwave oven works.

“That’s too bold! This is a consumer device,” you say?

Fair enough. How about a classical computer?

I program classical computers for a living. I develop code to solve practical problems. So, I’d say I use computers beyond the everyday Cletus.

However, I don’t know (a lot about) how a computer works physically. I am not an expert in electrical engineering either. To admit, I gathered a little knowledge over the years. But this doesn’t help me in my everyday work at all.

Profound mathematical abilities are not the secret ingredient to quantum computing mastery either.

When you start your quantum computing journey, you will inevitably be confronted with a lot of math. It is intimidating. Some authors throw mathematical formulae at you without bothering to explain them.

These are as good as Egyptian hieroglyphs.

I have taken the trouble to work myself through quite a few of these formulae. It was sobering. Understanding most formulae have no practical use in solving problems with quantum computing.

Of course, working yourself through a formula fosters an understanding of the underlying concept. But this is not because of the precision of math. This is because you deal with the subject intensively.

If you’re genuinely interested in quantum computing, you will get used to mathematical notation. You’ll lay aside the awe. Finally, you regard an equation as if it was a word.

For instance, take this equation. It describes the quantum superposition. I explain this equation in this post.

If you spent a while in the field, you don’t even go through the parts of this equation anymore. Instead, you recognize it as the “quantum superposition” and all it entails. Being a mathematician may speed up things a little, but it is not decisive.

Finally, computer science is not the secret ingredient to mastering quantum computing, either. This one really hurts me! But it’s true.

As a computer scientist, you know how to solve problems using technology. You can apply logical reasoning. And you know how to write code.

These are all essential abilities you need to have. However, in mathematical jargon, these are sufficient but not necessary conditions.

In other words, once you master quantum computing, you’ll have these abilities. But these abilities do not necessarily imply that you will master quantum computing.

The secret ingredient to quantum computing mastery is domain knowledge. This is the understanding of the essential aspects of a specific business area.

If you want to use quantum computing to solve a problem, you need a deep understanding of the problem.

A quantum computer is not a faster or bigger classical computer. By contrast, it is slow (in terms of clock speed) and tiny (in terms of qubits). A quantum computer gets its power from the ability to solve problems in a fundamentally different way.

To really master quantum computing, you’ll need to understand how this different way maps to the problems you aim to solve.

You can’t just throw a quantum algorithm at a problem and say, “do it!”

But you have to savvily craft an algorithm that takes the essence of the problem and turns it into a solution. This is something you can’t do without knowing the problem inside out.

You can learn how quantum computing works from blog posts or a textbook.

This way, you’ll learn about the physical laws of quantum mechanics that govern how quantum computing works conceptually. Quantum superposition and entanglement sound like the stuff science fiction is made of. Just enjoy!

This way, you’ll struggle with lots of mathematical formulae. Try to understand the underlying concept before you work through equations. Solving equations helps to verify whether you understand the material. It is useless for grasping a concept in the first place.

This way, you’ll develop the ability to reason about problems and how to solve them, both classically and with a quantum computer.

But all the quantum computing experts won’t teach you much about the problem you aim to solve. So this is something you need to bring yourself.

And while there are blog posts and textbooks on every single problem in the world, practical experience in coping with the problem is crucial.

Whenever I worked on a problem in my professional career, I learned about the importance of nitty-gritty details described nowhere.

Sometimes these details were specific to the industry I was working in.

Sometimes they were specific to the company I worked at.

And sometimes, they were unique to the very problem I tried to solve.

Knowing the specificity of an important problem is the secret ingredient to quantum computing mastery. It is an unfair advantage you can exploit.

You can learn everything about quantum computing in books or online. But not even the brightest physicists, most brilliant mathematicians, or savviest computer scientists know the details of the problem in your domain.

The best they can do is to solve the problem in general. But usually, this is impossible — even for a quantum computer. But knowing these tiny details make a problem tractable — or a quantum algorithm applicable.