Quantum × AI
Why AI fixes quantum errors, and whether quantum will repay it.
11 lessons, 20 course topics, about 141 min at Plain. Opened pages are remembered in this browser only.
Start here
What is quantum computing?about 3 min at PlainThe lessons, in reading order
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What is quantum computing?
You'll be able to say why a quantum computer needs constant error correction, and what an AI decoder adds.
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What is inside the machine?
You'll be able to point to the main parts of a quantum computer and say what each is for.
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What is a qubit made of?
You'll be able to name the parts of a transmon qubit and say what each one does.
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Is quantum computing just quantum mechanics?
You'll be able to say what separates quantum computing from quantum mechanics, and track a qubit on the Bloch sphere.
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What is quantum error correction?
You'll be able to explain how a surface code finds an error without reading the data, and why a threshold matters.
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What is a logical qubit?
You'll be able to work out how many physical qubits one logical qubit costs at a given error rate.
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Why do the algorithms work?
You'll be able to say why one mechanism, phase kickback, runs Deutsch-Jozsa, Simon and Shor.
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Will quantum boost AI?
You'll be able to rank the four ways quantum might help AI, and say which survive the data-loading toll.
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How do the companies compare?
You'll be able to compare the four qubit technologies on speed, error rate and scale, and say why none wins on all three.
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Where might quantum earn its keep?
You'll be able to say which proposed uses of a quantum computer have a real case and which are still hype.
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Do quantum sensors and networks matter sooner?
You'll be able to explain why quantum sensors already ship, and what quantum key distribution does and does not do.
The course: The Machinery
The mathematics underneath, topic by topic, with every claim proved or marked as not. Open the course page.
The Formal Framework Four topics, each taught four ways
Protocols Three topics, the postulates turned into something you can do
Building-block algorithms Three topics, the first speedups you can actually prove
The Fourier transform Three topics: the machinery Shor's algorithm is actually built from
Quantum algorithms for optimization & simulation Two topics: the near-term half of the zoo, with no speedup proof to its name
Information theory Two topics: putting a number on uncertainty, classical and quantum
Complexity theory Three topics: how hard the general versions of this page's own problems actually are
How this track counts toward your rank
Your rank is a code distance, d3 up to d25. Points come from questions you answer correctly and game levels you finish, never from opening a page, and each point belongs to one track. Your overall rank is set by your weakest track, and the top rank needs 80% of every track. This track holds 274 points: 12 lesson check questions, 1 point each (12); 20 course topic checks, 2 points each (40); 74 game levels, up to 3 points each for gold (222). Its games: Circuit Golf (9), Grover's Escape (9), chsh (9), duel (9), calibration (9), qttt (9), Surface Code Survival (4), Classical Strikes Back (6), Agent Lab (5), Magic State Factory (5).
| Rank | Points |
|---|---|
| d3 | 0 |
| d5 | 20 |
| d7 | 40 |
| d9 | 60 |
| d11 | 80 |
| d13 | 100 |
| d15 | 120 |
| d17 | 140 |
| d19 | 160 |
| d21 | 180 |
| d23 | 200 |
| d25 | 220 |