Quantum Computing and Information: A Scaffolding Approach (2e) (The Scaffolding Series) 2nd ed. Edition

This book is structured to introduce students from many different technical interests to quantum information science. The careful computational and conceptual development at the beginning of the book is oriented toward students at the freshman or sophomore levels who have the appropriate mathematical background in algebra and linear algebra. Unfortunately, many students who could benefit from this (reflective of the rapidly emerging importance of quantum information science, beyond practical quantum computing) do not have the needed training in linear algebra (since the more abstract nature of the subject tends to be avoided by teachers in high school or the first two years of college).The next part of the book, about quantum entanglement and the Bell inequalities, is a superb historical orientation for how the field of quantum information science became influential by about 2000. It is a good culmination for a sophomore level course based on this text.The final section explores quantum information science as it existed in 2022/3 with many openings for research and exploratory student projects. This makes the book of interest in upper division undergraduate courses geared toward such explorations, and the extensive references (many current up to about 2023 or early 2024) give the book a slant that would appeal to first year grad students as well.Personally, on the whole, I think this book is a little ahead of its time, due to my comment about the inadequacy of most high school and early college treatments of linear algebra. Naturally, it's superb crafting and the rapidly growing importance of quantum information science, makes it a highly appealing textbook. In an ideal world with students well-prepared in linear algebra, it is a sophomore - level text and a great one for conceptual and computational skills (with excellent illustrations that aid understanding and clarity). In the world as it is, this is better suited as a senior-level or first-year graduate level course, but at those levels simply does not fit in most traditional curricula at universities and colleges.Very important text: well-written, timely, and highly recommended. The field of quantum information science is likely to increase in importance in the next ten years.

I had been interested in studying quantum computing for a long time, and this excellent book has been the best one that I've read so far.This well-written book is very systematic and accessible. Meanwhile it is also rigorous and does not compromise its depth. The scaffolding approach it takes is well implemented - the book starts with relatively simple math and a simple system, gradually leading readers to advance their steps to new important concepts following a reasonable learning curve. It offers good balance between accessibility and depth which makes reading the book truly pleasant and rewarding. After reading this book, now I finally feel like I stepped into the gateway of quantum computing and feel excited to read more advanced texts.From my personal experience, I think quantum computing can be a difficult subject for beginners because it demands a solid mathematical background in linear algebra to start with. On the other hand, linear algebra is only a tool to describe things and knowing linear algebra itself does not help too much in understanding quantum computing. I've read books which try to explain quantum computing with a downgraded level of linear algebra, and I don't think that works well. I've also read books which starts with heavy mathematics, and it also leads to steep learning curve which doesn't work well, either.In contrast, this book impressed me right away by starting with interesting yet important stuff in quantum computing, without make things too mathematical or introducing too many new things at the same time. It is just smooth to follow what the authors are saying with recalling or studying some basic mathematical knowledge when necessary (pretty much in linear algebra). The book also offers a lot of examples to assist readers. The appendix on linear algebra is truly comprehensive and very helpful. There are also exercises with good difficulty to check one's understanding. Overall, it has been a very smooth learning experience for me.The book introduces quantum computing basics up to Chapter 10, then starting Chapter 11 it begins to introduce more advanced topics - quantum algorithms, quantum error correction and quantum information. Those are crucial yet challenging topics to beginners. I think the book does a really good job there covering topics from foundational problems to cutting-edge concepts. I am still studying that part, but I feel very excited to be closers to quantum computing practice.There are many amazing aspects of the book, including the quality and readability of e-book. I highly recommend this book to those who are eager to learn quantum computing and look for a good textbook to step into the field.