Quantum Metaphors

John Keane

Wang Kai-nin

The necessity of the metaphor in the quantum theory is analyzed in this paper at first,and the inherent relationship between metaphor and quantum language is investigated following it.Then through making concrete analysis of the metaphor in form system,interpretation and instruction of QM,we discuss the implementation of functions of the metaphor in the quantum theory.Finally we make the conclusion that metaphor has enlightening function,explanation function and teaching method function in QM,which offers the favorable evidence for legitimacy of the scientific metaphor.

Roman Teisseyre, Maria Teisseyre-Jeleńska

Camille Biros

Exploring a domain through its metaphors helps question the discursive framings that may be specific to it. Texts received by the CEA and ILCEA4 in the context of the project named “Imaginaires du quantique” seem appropriate for an analysis through their metaphors for reasons we start by presenting: prevalence of metaphorical terms, use of metaphors to explain complex phenomena, divide between conceptual metaphors used by different actors in the field. One of the objectives of our work is to consider whether contrasting perspectives can be identified concerning representations of the field and its social impact, more specifically when it comes to quantum computing and its potentialities. We start by considering the main conceptual metaphors in the corpus. We then propose a differentiated analysis according to the type of actor using the metaphor (physicist academic, academic from other disciplines, private sector). Through this analysis we hope to shed light on representations of quantum physics by its actors especially when it comes to describing the limits of the discipline and questions where a scientific consensus has not been reached yet.

Caiseal Beardow, Pieter Jan Stappers

In recent years, the quantum computing industry has seen significant investment and growth. However, this burgeoning industry faces a persistent labour gap: individuals with computing expertise, an understanding of quantum principles, and the ability to apply these principles to computing practices, are in increasing demand, but finding such individuals is proving challenging. We frame this problem as one of education, arguing that a computing-centred approach to learning about quantum computing is needed, and that the notion of computational thinking can help to define appropriate learning goals and outcomes in this context. We propose that metaphors can be an effective pedagogical tool in supporting the development of 'quantum computational thinking'. In this paper, we present our efforts to gather and assess a collection of metaphors that are currently used to teach quantum computing concepts. We describe a series of interviews with quantum computing experts in which we aimed to elicit such metaphors, and document our process of metaphor identification and metaphorical model synthesis. We subsequently assess these metaphors and models using both numerical rating data from experts and our own qualitative analysis. Informed by our findings, we suggest ways of developing metaphors that better support quantum computational thinking: emphasising target concepts' computational roles, acknowledging connections between concepts, and balancing procedural narratives with embodied, tangible imagery.