If you already have taken courses in elementary quantum mechanics, McMahon removes much of the mystery about quantum computing. The first portion of the book centres on the mathematical preparation. Describing probability distributions, linear algebra and finding eigenvalues and eigenvectors of a system.



It is only around the middle of the book that we start to seriously encounter quantum computing. Bell's Theorem on quantum entanglement, and the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen conjecture. Then we get to qubits and quantum searching.



Unlike other books on the subject, McMahon's narrative is generously interspersed with many examples. These tend to be simple mathematically, but they illustrate key points. The problem is that when you read research papers and other texts, much is left to the reader, in terms of verifying the maths. The emphasis in McMahon is indeed on providing extended and simple explanations.