Computational basis
The computational basis is the standard basis of quantum states labeled by definite binary-string measurement outcomes.
Quantum Programming in Depth
The computational basis is the reference basis of quantum states labeled by binary strings, including |0⟩ and |1⟩ for one qubit.
- How it is used
- Defines the default measurement convention for reading quantum states and algorithm outputs.
- How deep it goes
- Explains single- and multiqubit outcome probabilities, but defers measurements in other bases to later treatment.
- Examples
- Uses |0⟩, |1⟩, |01⟩, and a general two-qubit superposition with binary-string outcomes.
- What you can do after
- Evaluate/understand measurement outcomes by matching binary strings with basis-state amplitudes and their squared probabilities.
Read how Quantum Programming in Depth explains computational basis →
Building Quantum Software with Python
The computational basis is the standard basis of quantum states formed from basis states corresponding to definite bit-string outcomes.
- How it is used
- Represents definite measurement outcomes and provides the destination for recovering encoded integers after inverse Fourier-transform operations.
- How deep it goes
- Defines basis states through amplitudes, probabilities, state tables, and a four-qubit inverse-QFT walkthrough, without deriving quantum postulates.
- Examples
- Uses single-qubit outcomes, three-qubit state tables, and the four-qubit binary state 1101 representing integer 13.
- What you can do after
- Evaluate quantum states by reading basis outcomes, amplitudes, probabilities, and inverse-QFT recovery steps.
Read how Building Quantum Software with Python explains computational basis →
Related concepts
- quantum measurementproduced by · Quantum measurement is the process of obtaining a classical outcome from a quantum system according to probabilities determined by its state, generally changing that state.
- unitary transformationused by · A unitary transformation is a linear transformation that preserves inner products and therefore preserves vector norms and quantum measurement probabilities.
- quantum superpositionused by · Quantum superposition is a quantum state that coherently combines multiple basis states with associated probability amplitudes.
- quantum statepart of · A quantum state is a mathematical representation of a quantum system that determines the probabilities of possible measurement outcomes.
- Bell stateuses · A Bell state is one of four maximally entangled two-qubit quantum states whose measurements exhibit correlated outcomes.
- basiskind of · A basis is a linearly independent set of vectors whose linear combinations represent every vector in a vector space.
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