PERC 2025 Abstract Detail Page
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| Abstract Title: | Navigating Unfamiliar Quantum Ideas through Classical Analogies |
|---|---|
| Abstract Type: | Contributed Poster Presentation |
| Abstract: | Quantum mechanics is widely perceived as difficult and unapproachable. Instruction is often limited to upper-division physics courses, but it is important to expand the accessibility of quantum to undergraduates. Instructors often use analogies to promote learning. Previous research has examined how students' intuitions and prior knowledge shape their understanding of quantum through these comparisons, and we want to expand on this work. We conducted qualitative interviews with ten undergraduate students to investigate how analogies shape their understanding of quantum mechanics. One analogy used compared wavefunctions to vibrating guitar strings. Students drew on classical physics to interpret this analogy while recognizing key differences between classical and quantum systems. This suggests that analogies can serve as effective learning tools that help students navigate unfamiliar quantum ideas. Instruction that builds on students' previously established resources through analogies can make quantum mechanics more approachable and support efforts to integrate quantum earlier in undergraduate education. |
| Session Time: | Poster Session C |
| Poster Number: | C-127 |
Author/Organizer Information | |
| Primary Contact: |
Mia Longen University of Utah |
| Co-Author(s) and Co-Presenter(s) |
Ethan Hood, University of Utah Marc Whiting, University of Utah Lauren April Barth-Cohen, University of Utah Jordan Gerton, University of Utah Kelby Hahn, University of Utah |
