On the Web Open Source and Open Access Resources for Quantum Physics Education Mario Belloni and Wolfgang Christian, Department of Physics, Davidson College, Davidson, NC 28035 Bruce Mason,* Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019; *
[email protected] Keywords: Audience: First-Year Undergraduate/General, Second-Year Undergraduate, Upper-Division Undergraduate, Graduate Education/Research. Domain: Chemical Education Research, Curriculum, Physical Chemistry. Pedagogy: Computer-Based Learning, Inquiry-Based/Discovery Learning, Internet/ Web-Based Learning, Multimedia-Based Learning. Topics: Quantum Chemistry. Article available at: http://www.jce.divched.org/JCEDLib/ ConfChem/200804/P06
Quantum mechanics is the underlying theory of all phenomena on the nano-scale and smaller. Advances in much of physics, chemistry, and nano-technology have been the result of our understanding of this theory. The physics and chemistry curricula reflect this importance by revisiting quantum theory often. In our spring 2008 CONFCHEM (1) article, we describe the learning resources in quantum mechanics developed by the Open Source Physics (OSP) (2) project and their dissemination through the ComPADRE Digital Library (3). To understand quantum systems, students must grasp the properties and time-dependence of abstract objects and operators in an abstract vector space. They must then make connections to familiar measurable quantities such as position or energy. To complicate matters, quantum dynamics has two different time dependences. The deterministic time-evolution governed by the Schrödinger equation is understood through the time dependence of the energy eigenstates and superpositions of these functions. On the other hand, the change in quantum systems from before a measurement to after is fundamentally probabilistic. This results in the non-classical concepts of wave function “collapse” and uncertainty relations. Students must build correct mental models of quantum systems to understand the complex nature of quantum mechanical time evolution and measurement. Styer (4) stressed that incorrect models greatly hinder student understanding of quantum mechanics. Simulations (5, 6) that properly display quantummechanical time development and the results of measurements play an important role in the teaching and learning of quantum theory. Pedagogy that integrates these simulations into research-
The Quantum Exchange (http://www.compadre.org/quantum/, accessed Nov 2008), is part of the ComPADRE collection of digital resources for physics and astronomy education (http:// www.compadre.org/portal/, accessed Nov 2008).
based student activities and assessment helps students build an understanding of quantum phenomena (7). Our article describes the OSP tools and gives examples of the dynamic OSP quantum simulations. We demonstrate resources that allow students to explore previously inaccessible topics using research-based tutorials. The open community developing and sharing the pedagogical resources is supported by dissemination through ComPADRE and the National STEM Digital Library. These free and open resources are available to enhance all courses covering quantum phenomena. Acknowledgments Open Source Physics is supported by the NSF through grant DUE-0442581. ComPADRE is supported by the NSFNSDL program through grant DUE-0532798. Literature Cited 1. CONFCHEM Open Source and Open Access Paper. http://www. ched-ccce.org/confchem/2008/b/P6/P6.htm (accessed Nov 2008) 2. Open Source Physics, OSP Quantum Mechanics. http://www. compadre.org/osp (accessed Nov 2008). 3. ComPADRE: Digital Resource for Physics and Astronomy Education. http://www.compadre.org/ (accessed Nov 2008). 4. Styer, D. Quantum Mechanics: See it Now; presented at the meeting of the American Association of Physics Teachers, Kissimmee, FL, January, 2000. http://www.oberlin.edu/physics/dstyer/ TeachQM/see.html (accessed Nov 2008). 5. Hiller, J.; Johnston, I.; Styer, D. Quantum Mechanics Simulations, Consortium for Undergraduate Physics Software; John Wiley and Sons: New York, 1995. 6. Belloni, M. W. C.; Cox, A. Physlet Quantum Physics; Pearson Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2006. 7. Singh, C.; Belloni, M.; Christian, W. Physics Today 2006, 59, 43–49.
© Division of Chemical Education • www.JCE.DivCHED.org • Vol. 86 No. 1 January 2009 • Journal of Chemical Education
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