Science offers the boldest metaphysics of the age. It is a thoroughly human construct, driven by the faith that if we dream, press to discover, explain, and dream again, thereby plunging repeatedly into new terrain, the world will somehow come clearer and we will grasp the true strangeness of the universe. And the strangeness will all prove to be connected, and make sense.
- Edward O. Wilson
Information is physical.
- Rolf Landauer

What are the fundamental concepts of quantum computation and quantum information? How did these concepts develop? To what uses may they be put? How will they be presented in this book? The purpose of this introductory chapter is to answer these questions by developing in broad brushstrokes a picture of the field of quantum computation and quantum information. The intent is to communicate a basic understanding of the central concepts of the field, perspective on how they have been developed, and to help you decide how to approach the rest of the book.

Our story begins in Section 1.1 with an account of the historical context in which quantum computation and quantum information has developed. Each remaining section in the chapter gives a brief introduction to one or more fundamental concepts from the field: quantum bits (Section 1.2), quantum computers, quantum gates and quantum circuits (Section 1.3), quantum algorithms (Section 1.4), experimental quantum information processing (Section 1.5), and quantum information and communication (Section 1.6).

Along the way, illustrative and easily accessible developments such as quantum teleportation and some simple quantum algorithms are given, using the basic mathematic taught in this chapter. The presentation is self-contained, and designed to be accessible even without a background in computer science or physics. As we move along, we give pointers to more in-depth discussions in later chapters, where references and suggestions for further reading may also be found.

If as you read you're finding the going rough, skip on to a spot where you feel more comfortable. At points we haven't been able to avoid using a little technical lingo which won't be completely explained until later in the book. Simply accept it for now, and come back later when you understand all the terminology in more detail. The emphasis in this first chapter is on the big picture, with the details to be filled in later.

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