QUANTUM physics is the science of very small objects which behave differently at the microscopic scale.
A solid block is composed of millions of tiny atoms. Yet the behaviour of the block is way different from that of the atoms that make it up. To explain the behaviour of a solid object, classical physics is employed. However, classical physics fails to explain the behaviour of small particles.
A different physics is needed. This is where quantum physics comes in. It is taught at universities worldwide owing to its practical nature and the discrepancies owned by classical physics.
Despite being so popular in the universities, limited quantum physics is taught at higher-secondary schools. The reason given is that the concepts are counter-intuitive and so are difficult for the students to grasp. The teaching is done in such an inadequate manner that the interest of a huge fraction of students fades away even before entering an university.
Quantum physical concepts are interpreted based on classical reasoning. The wave-function, a building-block in quantum mechanics, is taught as being analogous to a wave.
Potential barriers are described as physical macroscopic hurdles. Quantum particles cannot be visualised like localised classical objects.
Classical thinking helps initiate the understanding, nevertheless, quantum physics cannot be fully understood based just on classical notions. Since it deals with small objects, a direct observation in daily life is difficult. The concepts are too abstract to experience. A pedagogic challenge is to elaborate the relationship between a mathematical result and its physical significance. Students fail to visualise a mathematical expression.
Teachers emphasise only on obtaining a mathematical answer to a quantum mechanical problem. Fair teaching of quantum physics needs a reconstruction of an entirely new conceptual framework. For this purpose, the needed effort of a teacher cannot be underestimated.
Dr Qurrat-ul-ain Gulfam,
Assistant Professor,
Department of Physics,
College of Science,
University of Bahrain.
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