  Significant progress is required in the engineering of large, interacting
quantum systems in order to realize the promises of gate-model quantum
computing. Designing such systems is challenging, as the dynamics of continuous
variable quantum systems are generally unintuitive, and brute-force numerical
solutions are difficult to impossible in more than a few dimensions. In this
work, I draw analogies between modern superconducting qubits and mechanical
mass-spring systems in attempt to gain a simple intuition for what makes each
design special. In particular, I analyze superconducting qubits that are
inherently protected from noise, and connect this protection to features of the
corresponding mechanical system. The hope is that intuition gained from
analyzing these systems mechanically will allow for intuitive design of useful
superconducting circuits in the future.
