[AmIDev]

When learning classical computing, I have done the following things that gave me a deeper understanding of how things work.

1. Learned logic gates and built(in simulators) small circuits which can do addition/multiplication.

2. Used a 8085 board to write assembly programs for search/sort etc.

3. Learnt C programming and Operating systems(primarily Linux)

4. Learnt higher level programming languages and paradigms(OOP, compilation, etc).

What set of courses/topics would lead to a similar level of understanding in the quantum domain? I have learnt about the quantum gates, but I do not have to context to understand how they fit in the larger picture.

[varjag]

You can wing it in classical domain by tinkering and reading source code aided with just school level algebra but it does not translate to quantum algorithms really. They will remain impenetrable until you invest into mastering mathematical concepts behind it, so most of the courses you need would be intermediate level math. Linear algebra, calculus, probability theory, some bits of number theory…

[reedf1]

Quantum gates/circuits are everything - unlike classical computing there is no abstraction built on top. The circuits are built and configured in a classical computer and then the configuration is loaded into the quantum computer.

Why not try playing around with some quantum circuits via qiskit, you can actually run them on a real quantum computer for a few cents with Amazon braket.

[georgeg23]

The larger picture isn't clear to anyone (yet?)