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

Teaching quantum mechanics at the secondary school level

Kim Krijtenburg-Lewerissa

Published Mar 12, 2020• 4 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The energy emitted by a black body depending on the wavelength, based on classical mechanics and on measurements.
DOI
10.3990/1.9789036549905

Related papers

About Teaching Quantum Mechanics in High Schools

Paola Verrucchi

Challenges in physics education•Jan 1, 2023•0 citations

Quantum mechanics for natural philosophers (I)

Peter Gibbins

The quantum revolution began in 1900 with a novel solution to what might seem to be one of the minor puzzles of theoretical physics, the problem of black-body radiation: the problem of the interaction of those two sorts of entity which figure in the dualist ontology of late classical physics. The trouble for classical physics was that the facts about a black body's capacity to absorb and emit radiation defied thermodynamic explanation. The best that classical physics could do was to get the facts wrong and to generate paradox. So what was the problem of black-body radiation and why was it considered to be so puzzling? First, what is a black body? Some bodies absorb and emit radiation more readily than others. A mirror is a poor absorber of radiation in the form of light, a piece of coal is a good one. A good absorber of radiation in the form of light is ‘blacker’ than one that is not. One can extend the metaphor to radiation outside the visible range. Clearly, a body that is ‘blacker’ than another for one range of radiation frequencies need not be ‘blacker’ for all frequencies. A body's ‘blackness’ will, in general, depend on its chemical structure. But we can imagine a body whose blackness is maximal for all wavelengths. Such a body, if it exists, has a blackness which is independent of its chemical structure. We call it a black body. Two interesting questions are: first, are there bodies in Nature which are uniformly and maximally black for all wavelengths? and second, how does such a black body distribute the energy that it radiates as a function of the wavelength of the radiation it emits?

Cambridge University Press eBooks•Sep 25, 1987•0 citations

A MEASURED INTRODUCTION TO QUANTUM PHYSICS

Jeff Barratt

Metascience•Jul 1, 2006•0 citations

From probabilities to Bell’s inequalities: a pathway for secondary school quantum literacy

Valentina De Renzi, Matteo G. A. Paris, Maria Bondani

Abstract Quantum mechanics is a key part of modern science and technology, but its complexity makes it challenging to teach it in schools. We suggest a teaching method for secondary schools that focuses on Bell’s inequalities and how they are tested experimentally. Using students’ understanding of statistics and probability, we provide a step-by-step approach. This includes hands-on activities, like a simple card game, and discussions of CHSH experiments, to help students see the differences between classical and quantum probability. Early testing shows promising results, indicating that this method could be effective.

Journal of Physics Conference Series•Mar 1, 2026•0 citations

Teaching quantum mechanics in secondary schools: A qubit-first learning path to Bell's inequalities

Alberto Carlini, Andrea Lanza, Dalida Monti +5 more

Teaching quantum mechanics at the secondary school level remains a major educational challenge. Traditional historical approaches often present the theory as a sequence of disconnected phenomena, requiring extensive prior knowledge of classical physics before students can appreciate the conceptual structure of quantum physics. In this work, we present the design, implementation, and evaluation of a curriculum based on the two state (qubit first) approach, in which the fundamental postulates of quantum mechanics are introduced through mathematically accessible two level systems and realized with light polarization. The curriculum integrates theoretical instruction, laboratory activities, a coherent progression grounded in the interactive simulations, and inquiry based learning into a coherent pathway that progresses from quantum states and superposition to entanglement and the experimental violation of Bell's inequalities. A distinctive feature of the project is the experimental realization of the violation of Bell's inequalities obtained in a newly established quantum optics laboratory in an Italian high school, where students performed, for the first time in Italy, an authentic Bell test using polarization-entangled photons. The same educational framework was adopted for in service teacher professional development courses. Learning outcomes were evaluated through mixed methods. Preliminary analysis indicates significant improvements in conceptual understanding, confidence in using mathematical formalism, and appreciation of the relationship between theory, experimentation, and the foundations of quantum mechanics. The proposed curriculum shows that two-state formalism and supported by real laboratory experiences enables secondary-school students to engage more meaningfully with both the conceptual foundations of quantum mechanics and their experimental verification.

physics.ed-phCross-listedarXiv:2610.29834•Oct 22, 2026•0 citations

Conceptual Study of Basic Principles of Quantum Mechanics

Rabah Ladj

•Jan 1, 2017•0 citations
The quantum revolution began in 1900 with a novel solution to what might seem to be one of the minor puzzles of theoretical physics, the problem of black-body radiation: the problem of the interaction of those two sorts of entity which figure in the dualist ontology of late classical physics. The trouble for classical physics was that the facts about a black body's capacity to absorb and emit radiation defied thermodynamic explanation. The best that classical physics could do was to get the facts wrong and to generate paradox. So what was the problem of black-body radiation and why was it considered to be so puzzling? First, what is a black body? Some bodies absorb and emit radiation more readily than others. A mirror is a poor absorber of radiation in the form of light, a piece of coal is a good one. A good absorber of radiation in the form of light is ‘blacker’ than one that is not. One can extend the metaphor to radiation outside the visible range. Clearly, a body that is ‘blacker’ than another for one range of radiation frequencies need not be ‘blacker’ for all frequencies. A body's ‘blackness’ will, in general, depend on its chemical structure. But we can imagine a body whose blackness is maximal for all wavelengths. Such a body, if it exists, has a blackness which is independent of its chemical structure. We call it a black body. Two interesting questions are: first, are there bodies in Nature which are uniformly and maximally black for all wavelengths? and second, how does such a black body distribute the energy that it radiates as a function of the wavelength of the radiation it emits?
Abstract Quantum mechanics is a key part of modern science and technology, but its complexity makes it challenging to teach it in schools. We suggest a teaching method for secondary schools that focuses on Bell’s inequalities and how they are tested experimentally. Using students’ understanding of statistics and probability, we provide a step-by-step approach. This includes hands-on activities, like a simple card game, and discussions of CHSH experiments, to help students see the differences between classical and quantum probability. Early testing shows promising results, indicating that this method could be effective.
Teaching quantum mechanics at the secondary school level remains a major educational challenge. Traditional historical approaches often present the theory as a sequence of disconnected phenomena, requiring extensive prior knowledge of classical physics before students can appreciate the conceptual structure of quantum physics. In this work, we present the design, implementation, and evaluation of a curriculum based on the two state (qubit first) approach, in which the fundamental postulates of quantum mechanics are introduced through mathematically accessible two level systems and realized with light polarization. The curriculum integrates theoretical instruction, laboratory activities, a coherent progression grounded in the interactive simulations, and inquiry based learning into a coherent pathway that progresses from quantum states and superposition to entanglement and the experimental violation of Bell's inequalities. A distinctive feature of the project is the experimental realization of the violation of Bell's inequalities obtained in a newly established quantum optics laboratory in an Italian high school, where students performed, for the first time in Italy, an authentic Bell test using polarization-entangled photons. The same educational framework was adopted for in service teacher professional development courses. Learning outcomes were evaluated through mixed methods. Preliminary analysis indicates significant improvements in conceptual understanding, confidence in using mathematical formalism, and appreciation of the relationship between theory, experimentation, and the foundations of quantum mechanics. The proposed curriculum shows that two-state formalism and supported by real laboratory experiences enables secondary-school students to engage more meaningfully with both the conceptual foundations of quantum mechanics and their experimental verification.