A suggested reading order for QCSP’s quantum computing blog series, from first principles to hands-on implementation. Several posts build directly on the one before them, so within each track, start at the top and work down.
Foundations
- Introducing Quantum Computing — a plain-language starting point for the field.
- Think of a Number: How to Program a Quantum Computer — a simple puzzle that introduces how quantum programs work.
- Quantum Computing: Programming the Quantum Dice — simulating randomness using qubit superposition.
Quantum Search
- Quantum Searching — how Grover’s search works, worked out by hand.
- Programming the Quantum Search — the same algorithm, implemented in Qiskit.
Cryptography — RSA Track
- How RSA Encryption Works — classical RSA encryption, no quantum computer required.
- Period Finding and the RSA — the number-theory trick quantum computers exploit.
- RSA Encryption and Quantum Computing — the theory behind cracking RSA with a quantum computer.
Cryptography — Elliptic Curve Track
- Elliptic Curve Cryptography — classical elliptic curve cryptography.
- Quantum Computing and Elliptic Curve Cryptography — the quantum attack on elliptic curve keys.
Cryptography — Capstone
- Constructing the Quantum Fourier Circuit — building the QFT circuit from scratch.
- Programming Shor’s Algorithm to Crack the RSA Cryptography — bringing RSA, period finding, and the QFT circuit together in Qiskit.
Optimization: Ising Model & VQE
- I Sing Quantum Computing — an introduction to the Ising Model for NP-complete problems.
- Traveling Salesman and Quantum Computing — mapping the Traveling Salesman Problem onto the Ising Model.
- Introducing the Variational Quantum Eigensolver — a heuristic for tackling problems too large to solve exactly.
Advanced Application
- Computing State Vector of Probability Distributions — deriving a generic circuit for probability distribution functions.