Introduction to Quantum Computing
CSE 190 / Math 152 - Spring 2025

Place and Time:Podemos 1A20, TTh 2:00pm-3:20pm
Instructor:Daniel Grier (dgrier@ucsd.edu)
Course staff:Jack Morris (jrm035@ucsd.edu), Ryan Batubara (rbatubara@ucsd.edu)
Resources:Canvas, Gradescope, Piazza

Daniel's office hours:Thursday from 3:30pm-4:30pm in APM 7141
Jacks's office hours:TBD

Assignments

These lecture notes are intended to cover much of the material we will cover in this class. They will be updated throughout the quarter (last updated: 3/1/25). When possible, I have also included links below to other resources for specific topics (usually references to these excellent notes by John Watrous).
Lecture 1 Introduction to quantum bits and quantum operations 1.1, pg 1-5
Lecture 2 Quantum systems with many qubits and tensor products 1.2, pg 1-4

Overview

This is an advanced undergraduate course focusing on the mathematical theory of quantum computers. The course will start with a general introduction to quantum computers: How do we mathematically specify a quantum state? What kinds of operations can we apply to a quantum state? How can we measure quantum states to solve computational problems? After having developed these basics, we will learn how to construct and analyze quantum algorithms, including those that have generated some of the most excitement about the future of quantum computing.

Prerequisites: A previous course in linear algebra is required (Math 18, Math 20F, or Math 31AH). All previous math experience will be very helpful, especially discrete math (Math 15A, CSE 20), probability (Math 11, CSE 21), and complex numbers. No prerequisite knowledge of physics or quantum computation is required.

Topics
  • Foundations: states, operations, measurements
  • Quantum information: entanglement, no-cloning theorem
  • Circuits: gates, universality, measures of complexity, programming
  • Algorithms: Deutsch-Jozsa, Simon, Grover, quantum Fourier transform
  • Complexity: classical simulation, quantum computational advantage
Evaluation
  • Homework (30%): There will be 6 homework assignments throughout the quarter. The lowest homework grade will be dropped. You are allowed to turn homeworks assignments in 1-day late for a 25% penalty. No other late submissions will be accepted.
  • Participation (10%): Participation is based entirely on online quizzes on Gradescope given both synchronously and asynchronously. Your lowest 3 quiz scores will be dropped.
  • Midterm (25%): Date - May 1st in class. There is no make-up midterm.
  • Final (35%): Date - June 10th at 3pm during finals week. If final grade is higher than midterm, it will replace the midterm grade.
Accommodations
Students requesting accommodations for this course due to a disability must provide a current Authorization for Accommodation (AFA) letter issued by the Office for Students with Disabilities. Students are required to discuss accommodation arrangements with instructors and OSD liaisons in the department in advance of any exams or assignments.

Following UCSD (and common) practice recommended by the Academic Integrity Office, assessments, especially those given at non-overlapping times, will be comparable, but may not be identical. This practice is meant to maintain course integrity, avoiding non-allowed collaboration (either intentional or accidental).