Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1512.02346 · Physics Education Research Conference (PERC)

Investigating student understanding of quantum entanglement

Antje Kohnle, Erica Deffebach

Published Dec 18, 2015• 5 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Quantum entanglement is a central concept of quantum theory for multiple particles.Entanglement played an important role in the development of the foundations of the theory and makes possible modern applications in quantum information technology.As part of the QuVis Quantum Mechanics Visualization Project, we developed an interactive simulation Entanglement: The nature of quantum correlations using two-particle entangled spin states.We investigated student understanding of entanglement at the introductory and advanced undergraduate levels by collecting student activity and posttest responses using two versions of the simulation and carrying out a small number of student interviews.Common incorrect ideas found include statements that all entangled states must be maximally entangled (i.e.show perfect correlations or anticorrelations along all common measurement axes), that the spins of particles in a product state must have definite values (cannot be in a superposition state with respect to spin) and difficulty factorizing product states.Outcomes from this work will inform further development of the QuVis Entanglement simulation.

DOI
10.1119/perc.2015.pr.038

Related papers

Investigating Students' Understanding of Entanglement

Benjamin M. Zwickl, Hope J. Hersom

Entanglement is at the heart of emerging technologies such as quantum computing, quantum sensing, and quantum networking.These technologies are developed by interdisciplinary teams of engineers, physicists, software developers, and other scientists.As a result, quantum concepts, such as entanglement, are essential to introduce to a wide range of disciplines.In response, many universities have implemented quantum information science and engineering (QISE) courses for undergraduate students.These QISE courses present quantum concepts to students from diverse disciplines at an introductory level, whereas previously, they were reserved for advanced physics courses.We interviewed students who had recently completed an introductory QISE course to investigate their conceptual and mathematical understanding of entanglement.We found that entanglement was most strongly associated with the idea of correlation between measurements, while only some students productively used the mathematical criterion of whether or not a quantum state was factorable.

Physics Education Research Conference (PERC)•Sep 12, 2024•0 citations

Quantum Entanglement

Arjun Berera, Luigi Del Debbio

Designed for a two-semester advanced undergraduate or graduate level course, this distinctive and modern textbook provides students with the physical intuition and mathematical skills to tackle even complex problems in quantum mechanics with ease and fluency. Beginning with a detailed introduction to quantum states and Dirac notation, the book then develops the overarching theoretical framework of quantum mechanics, before explaining physical quantum mechanical properties such as angular momentum and spin. Symmetries and groups in quantum mechanics, important components of current research, are covered at length. The second part of the text focuses on applications, and includes a detailed chapter on quantum entanglement, one of the most exciting modern applications of quantum mechanics, and of key importance in quantum information and computation. Numerous exercises are interspersed throughout the text, expanding upon key concepts and further developing students' understanding. A fully worked solutions manual and lecture slides are available for instructors.

Cambridge University Press eBooks•Oct 21, 2021•0 citations

Improving students’ understanding of quantum measurement. I. Investigation of difficulties

Guangtian Zhu, Chandralekha Singh

We describe the difficulties that advanced undergraduate and graduate students have with quantum measurement within the standard interpretation of quantum mechanics. We explore the possible origins of these difficulties by analyzing student responses to questions from both surveys and interviews. Results from this research are applied to develop research-based learning tutorials to improve students' understanding of quantum measurement.

arXiv:1602.05714•Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research•Apr 19, 2012•90 citations

Improving students’ understanding of quantum measurement. I. Investigation of difficulties

Guangtian Zhu, Chandralekha Singh

We describe the difficulties that advanced undergraduate and graduate students have with quantum measurement within the standard interpretation of quantum mechanics. We explore the possible origins of these difficulties by analyzing student responses to questions from both surveys and interviews. Results from this research are applied to develop research-based learning tutorials to improve students’ understanding of quantum measurement.

•Apr 1, 2012•80 citations

Conceptual understanding of quantum mechanics : an investigation into physics students' depictions of the basic concepts of quantum mechanics

Mengesha Ayene Ejigu

Not only is Quantum Mechanics (QM) conceptually rich, it is also a theory that physics students have found abstract and technically formidable. Nevertheless, compared to other classical topics of physics, university students’ understanding of QM has received minimal attention in the physics education literature. The principal purpose of this study was to characterize the variation in the ways that undergraduate physics students depict the basic concepts of QM and to extrapolate the results to scaffold possible changes to instructional practices at the university that provided the context for the study. In so doing, an adaptation of a developmental phenomenographic perspective was chosen. Empirically, the study was approached through in-depth interviews with 35 physics students from two Ethiopian governmental universities after they had been exposed to the traditional QM course for one-third of a semester. Interview responses were analyzed using phenomenographic approach where a picture of students’ depictions was established for each quantum concept by expounding the given responses. For each basic quantum concept addressed, the structure of the description categories was separately constructed, and overall, it was found that naive, quasi-classical ontology and/or variants of classical ways of visualization are dominant in students’ responses. For example, it was found that students’ depictions of the photon concept could be described with three distinct categories of description, which are (a) classical intuitive description, (b) mixed model description and (c) quasi-quantum model description. Similarly, the findings revealed that it is possible to establish three qualitatively different categories of description to picture students’ depictions of matter waves, namely, (a) classical and trajectory-based description, (b) an intricate blend of classical and quantum description and (c) incipient quantum model description. Likewise, it was found that students’ depictions of uncertainty principle can be described as: (a) uncertainty as classical ignorance, (b) uncertainty as measurement disturbance and (c) uncertainty as a quasi-quantum principle. \nWith regard to learning QM, the categories of description made clear several issues: most students did not have enough knowledge to depict the basic concepts of QM properly; they were influenced by the perspective of classical physics and their perceptions in making explanations about QM; and they also applied mixed ideas, one based on their classical model and the other from newly introduced QM. These results are also supported by the findings of previous studies in similar domains. Findings from the study were used to guide the design of multiple representations-based instructions and interactive learning tutorials on the conceptual aspects of QM that has been shown to address specific difficulties identified in the study. Theoretical and practical implications of the study, as well as potential future considerations are drawn.

•Jul 1, 2014•1 citation

Student difficulties with quantum uncertainty in the context of discrete probability distributions

Yujia Li, Antje Kohnle, Gina Passante

Quantum uncertainty is a fundamental concept in quantum mechanics, but challenging for students to master.In this article, we describe student difficulties with visual and conceptual understanding of quantum uncertainty in the context of discrete probability distributions such as those for a spin 1/2 particle.We collected written responses from students at two institutions to a homework activity focusing on uncertainty of spin measurement outcomes, as well as written responses to a test question from one of the institutions.We also conducted interviews with six students to gain further insight into difficulties found.Common incorrect ideas found included a depiction of uncertainty as the error around each of the individual measurement outcomes, not depicting the uncertainty region from the expectation value outwards, and the idea that quantum uncertainty of an observable can never be zero.These ideas may indicate a confusion between quantum uncertainty and errors due to instrumental imperfections of the measurement apparatus, a lack of conceptual understanding of quantum uncertainty as the standard deviation of the probability distribution with respect to its mean, and an incorrect interpretation of the uncertainty relation between two incompatible observables to deduce that quantum uncertainty can never be zero.The results of this study show the importance of supporting students in visual and conceptual understanding of quantum uncertainty.

Physics Education Research Conference (PERC)•Oct 1, 2021•6 citations
Quantum entanglement is a central concept of quantum theory for multiple particles.Entanglement played an important role in the development of the foundations of the theory and makes possible modern applications in quantum information technology.As part of the QuVis Quantum Mechanics Visualization Project, we developed an interactive simulation Entanglement: The nature of quantum correlations using two-particle entangled spin states.We investigated student understanding of entanglement at the introductory and advanced undergraduate levels by collecting student activity and posttest responses using two versions of the simulation and carrying out a small number of student interviews.Common incorrect ideas found include statements that all entangled states must be maximally entangled (i.e.show perfect correlations or anticorrelations along all common measurement axes), that the spins of particles in a product state must have definite values (cannot be in a superposition state with respect to spin) and difficulty factorizing product states.Outcomes from this work will inform further development of the QuVis Entanglement simulation.
Entanglement is at the heart of emerging technologies such as quantum computing, quantum sensing, and quantum networking.These technologies are developed by interdisciplinary teams of engineers, physicists, software developers, and other scientists.As a result, quantum concepts, such as entanglement, are essential to introduce to a wide range of disciplines.In response, many universities have implemented quantum information science and engineering (QISE) courses for undergraduate students.These QISE courses present quantum concepts to students from diverse disciplines at an introductory level, whereas previously, they were reserved for advanced physics courses.We interviewed students who had recently completed an introductory QISE course to investigate their conceptual and mathematical understanding of entanglement.We found that entanglement was most strongly associated with the idea of correlation between measurements, while only some students productively used the mathematical criterion of whether or not a quantum state was factorable.
Designed for a two-semester advanced undergraduate or graduate level course, this distinctive and modern textbook provides students with the physical intuition and mathematical skills to tackle even complex problems in quantum mechanics with ease and fluency. Beginning with a detailed introduction to quantum states and Dirac notation, the book then develops the overarching theoretical framework of quantum mechanics, before explaining physical quantum mechanical properties such as angular momentum and spin. Symmetries and groups in quantum mechanics, important components of current research, are covered at length. The second part of the text focuses on applications, and includes a detailed chapter on quantum entanglement, one of the most exciting modern applications of quantum mechanics, and of key importance in quantum information and computation. Numerous exercises are interspersed throughout the text, expanding upon key concepts and further developing students' understanding. A fully worked solutions manual and lecture slides are available for instructors.
Not only is Quantum Mechanics (QM) conceptually rich, it is also a theory that physics students have found abstract and technically formidable. Nevertheless, compared to other classical topics of physics, university students’ understanding of QM has received minimal attention in the physics education literature. The principal purpose of this study was to characterize the variation in the ways that undergraduate physics students depict the basic concepts of QM and to extrapolate the results to scaffold possible changes to instructional practices at the university that provided the context for the study. In so doing, an adaptation of a developmental phenomenographic perspective was chosen. Empirically, the study was approached through in-depth interviews with 35 physics students from two Ethiopian governmental universities after they had been exposed to the traditional QM course for one-third of a semester. Interview responses were analyzed using phenomenographic approach where a picture of students’ depictions was established for each quantum concept by expounding the given responses. For each basic quantum concept addressed, the structure of the description categories was separately constructed, and overall, it was found that naive, quasi-classical ontology and/or variants of classical ways of visualization are dominant in students’ responses. For example, it was found that students’ depictions of the photon concept could be described with three distinct categories of description, which are (a) classical intuitive description, (b) mixed model description and (c) quasi-quantum model description. Similarly, the findings revealed that it is possible to establish three qualitatively different categories of description to picture students’ depictions of matter waves, namely, (a) classical and trajectory-based description, (b) an intricate blend of classical and quantum description and (c) incipient quantum model description. Likewise, it was found that students’ depictions of uncertainty principle can be described as: (a) uncertainty as classical ignorance, (b) uncertainty as measurement disturbance and (c) uncertainty as a quasi-quantum principle. \nWith regard to learning QM, the categories of description made clear several issues: most students did not have enough knowledge to depict the basic concepts of QM properly; they were influenced by the perspective of classical physics and their perceptions in making explanations about QM; and they also applied mixed ideas, one based on their classical model and the other from newly introduced QM. These results are also supported by the findings of previous studies in similar domains. Findings from the study were used to guide the design of multiple representations-based instructions and interactive learning tutorials on the conceptual aspects of QM that has been shown to address specific difficulties identified in the study. Theoretical and practical implications of the study, as well as potential future considerations are drawn.
Quantum uncertainty is a fundamental concept in quantum mechanics, but challenging for students to master.In this article, we describe student difficulties with visual and conceptual understanding of quantum uncertainty in the context of discrete probability distributions such as those for a spin 1/2 particle.We collected written responses from students at two institutions to a homework activity focusing on uncertainty of spin measurement outcomes, as well as written responses to a test question from one of the institutions.We also conducted interviews with six students to gain further insight into difficulties found.Common incorrect ideas found included a depiction of uncertainty as the error around each of the individual measurement outcomes, not depicting the uncertainty region from the expectation value outwards, and the idea that quantum uncertainty of an observable can never be zero.These ideas may indicate a confusion between quantum uncertainty and errors due to instrumental imperfections of the measurement apparatus, a lack of conceptual understanding of quantum uncertainty as the standard deviation of the probability distribution with respect to its mean, and an incorrect interpretation of the uncertainty relation between two incompatible observables to deduce that quantum uncertainty can never be zero.The results of this study show the importance of supporting students in visual and conceptual understanding of quantum uncertainty.