What is quantum
computational thinking?
A framework at the nexus of science, engineering, and computation — built to prepare students for problems enabled and constrained by quantum mechanics.
We envision developing students' capability of tackling problems in information science — with solutions enabled and constrained by the laws of quantum mechanics — as a critical goal of quantum education. We refer to this capability as quantum computational thinking (QCT). Specifically, QCT is a multifaceted construct at the nexus of science, engineering, and computation that comprises three interconnected parts:
- a scientific ability to think in terms of quantum mechanics;
- an engineering ability to apply quantum mechanics to solve computation and communication problems;
- a computational ability to use computational thinking to process quantum information.
Students with a QCT mindset can comprehend and explain how quantum computing and communication work, what hardware and software must be built to unleash the power, and what bottlenecks are impeding the progress.
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