setup_guide.md

Environment Setup Guide

Python Environment

1. Create and activate a virtual environment

# Create
python -m venv .venv

# Activate
# Linux / macOS:
source .venv/bin/activate
# Windows PowerShell:
.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
# Windows CMD:
.venv\Scripts\activate.bat

2. Install Python dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Verify installation

import numpy as np
import scipy
import qiskit
print(f"NumPy:  {np.__version__}")
print(f"SciPy:  {scipy.__version__}")
print(f"Qiskit: {qiskit.__version__}")

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Q# Environment (for Notebook 09)

Option A: Azure Quantum Development Kit (recommended)

1. Install the QDK for VS Code:

   • Open VS Code → Extensions → search for "Azure Quantum Development Kit" → Install.
   • This provides Q# language support, syntax highlighting, and the Q# kernel for Jupyter.

2. Install the qsharp Python package:

   pip install qsharp

3. Verify:

   import qsharp
   print(qsharp.__version__)

Option B: Standalone Q# compiler

1. Install the .NET 8 SDK.
2. Install the QDK project templates:

   dotnet new install Microsoft.Quantum.ProjectTemplates

3. Navigate to the qsharp/ folder and build:

   cd qsharp
   dotnet build

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Launching Notebooks

# From the repository root
jupyter lab notebooks/

Open notebooks in numerical order (01 → 10) for the intended learning progression.

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Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'qiskit'	Run pip install -r requirements.txt inside your virtual environment
Qiskit version conflicts	Use pip install --upgrade qiskit qiskit-aer qiskit-algorithms
Q# kernel not showing in Jupyter	Install qsharp package: pip install qsharp and restart Jupyter
Matplotlib plots not rendering	Ensure %matplotlib inline is at the top of each notebook
Large matrix computations are slow	Notebooks with n > 12 qubits require significant RAM; reduce n if needed