Phenomena and Principles: Presenting Quantum Physics in a High School Curriculum
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Methodology
2.1. Determining the Nucleus via Interviews with Experts
2.2. QP Textbooks and the Nucleus
3. Findings
3.1. Experts on the Nucleus of Quantum Physics
3.1.1. The Items
3.1.2. Scrutinizing with Respect to the Nucleus
3.1.3. Interim Summary of the Nucleus
- A.
- Methodological: Several experts explicitly argued that quantization represents a phenomenon and not a principle. In addition, the phenomenon of quantization is also observed in CP.
- B.
- Conceptual: Quantization derives from the solution of the wave equation. It can be illustrated by standing waves. Quantization cannot be a fundamental principle in QP, since it characterizes all waves, both classical and quantum.
- C.
- Pedagogical: Pupils encounter quantization while studying about the Bohr model, which is semi classical; it belongs to the periphery of QP. Considering it as a fundamental principle is misleading regarding the essential features of QP.
3.2. Analysis of Textbooks
3.2.1. Blurring the Structure of the Nucleus and Periphery
3.2.2. Lack of Stating the Basic Principles
3.2.3. Treating Principles as Phenomena
- The same is true in Krane’s textbook [42], that is, wavity is treated in the context of de Broglie’s hypothesis, the focus is on diffraction and interference (p. 104), and there is no reference to the superposition of states. Later (p. 110), the double slit experiment is described with an examination of the slit in which an electron passes; however, there is no mention of wave function collapse during a measurement. The description mentions that it is related to particle-wise behavior, and if it is a particle, it loses its wavity (the complementarity principle). In this case, the phenomenon is indeed explained by a principle (the body is explained by the nucleus); however, a few deficiencies can be mentioned: The measurement not only revealed the particle property. It caused the collapse of the wave function from a two-state superposition to a single state (particle-wise). This is the same for a measurement made in the slits and a measurement made on the screen. This perspective is absent in the textbook.
- The principle of complementarity is not explained here. Here, the principle is not distinguished from phenomena. The title Through Which Slit Does the Particle Pass? focuses on the phenomenon. The principle is not mentioned.
- The principle of complementarity rarely appears in the book. It was referred to in the claim of duality; the wave and particle properties complement each other. The only other case is where it is mentioned in relation to Bohr’s contribution to QP, too little for the central principle of this theory.
3.2.4. Superposition
3.2.5. Measurement and the Collapse of the Wave Function
3.2.6. Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle
3.2.7. Entanglement and Non-Locality
4. Discussion and Conclusions
4.1. Principles and Phenomena: Teaching the Body as the Nucleus
4.2. Treating Principles as Phenomena: Teaching the Nucleus as the Body
4.3. Reference to the Principles at a Lower Level
4.4. Making a DC Curriculum for High School
4.5. Dirac Notation
5. Coda and Future Research
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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No. | Position | Seniority (or Years) | Area of Expertise |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Ph.D. student (physics) | Ph.D. Student | Quantum communication and entanglement |
2 | Physicist | 4 | Nuclear and hadronic physics |
3 | Physicist | 40 | High energy and strings theory, Lecturer (QP) |
4 | Physicist | 12 | Quantum entanglement, Lecturer QP |
5 | Physicist | 36 | Condensed matter; Lecturer QP |
6 | Physicist | 14 | Quantum coherence |
7 | Physicist | 1 | Nuclear astrophysics |
8 | Physicist | 7 | Nonlinear quantum optics |
9 | Philosopher of science | 11 | Philosophy of physics, classical and quantum statistical mechanics |
(No) Author(s) (Year of Edition) | Title | |
---|---|---|
(1) | Beiser (2003 [39]) | Concepts of Modern Physics |
(2) | Weidner and Sells (1973 [40]) | Elementary Modern Physics |
(3) | Serway, Moses, and Moyer (2005 [41]) | Modern Physics |
(4) | Krane (1983 [42]) | Modern Physics |
(5) | Tipler and Llewellyn (2008 [43]) | Modern Physics |
(6) | Thornton and Rex (2013 [44]) | Modern Physics for Scientists and Engineers |
(7) | Nolan (2014 [45]) | Fundamentals of Modern Physics |
(8) | Noce, Ed. (2020 [46]) | Modern Physics; A Critical Approach |
(9) | Halliday, Resnick, Walker, and Taylor (2012 [47]) | Understanding Modern Physics (Hebrew translation) |
Nucleus | Body | Periphery |
---|---|---|
State–eigenstate and the principle of the superposition of states; the wave function | Dirac notations The double-slit experiment with electrons Spin and polarization The Stern–Gerlach experiment Mach–Zehnder interferometer The BB84 protocol | Classical state and probability in mechanics and thermodynamics |
The wavity of matter and superposition. Probabilistic interpretation and measurement | Classical measurement without disturbance Electron as a cloud | |
Heisenberg’s uncertainty and complementarity principle | Classic uncertainty—the lack of knowledge | |
Entanglement | An experiment to examine Bell’s inequality | Hidden variables |
Quantum indistinguishability Bosons and fermions | Laser, Pauli’s exclusion principle, The Mendeleev periodic table | Particles distinguishable in classical statistics. Unification of matter. |
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Weissman, E.Y.; Merzel, A.; Katz, N.; Galili, I. Phenomena and Principles: Presenting Quantum Physics in a High School Curriculum. Physics 2022, 4, 1299-1317. https://doi.org/10.3390/physics4040083
Weissman EY, Merzel A, Katz N, Galili I. Phenomena and Principles: Presenting Quantum Physics in a High School Curriculum. Physics. 2022; 4(4):1299-1317. https://doi.org/10.3390/physics4040083
Chicago/Turabian StyleWeissman, Efraim Yehuda, Avraham Merzel, Nadav Katz, and Igal Galili. 2022. "Phenomena and Principles: Presenting Quantum Physics in a High School Curriculum" Physics 4, no. 4: 1299-1317. https://doi.org/10.3390/physics4040083