Does an Emphasis on the Concept of Quantum States Enhance Students' Understanding of Quantum Mechanics?

Teaching physics implies making choices. In the case of teachingquantum physics, besides an educational choice – the didactic strategy – another choice mustbe made, an epistemological one, concerning the interpretation of quantum theory itself. Thesetwo choices are closely connected. We have chosen a didactic strategy that privileges the phenomenological-conceptualapproach, with emphasis upon quantum features of the systems, instead of searching for classicalanalogies. This choice has led us to present quantum theory associated with an orthodox, yet realistic,interpretation of the concept of quantum state, considered as the key concept of quantum theory,representing the physical reality of a system, independent of measurement processes. The results of theimplementation of this strategy, with three groups of engineering students, showed that more than a halfof them attained a reasonable understanding of the basics of quantum mechanics (QM) for thislevel. In addition, a high degree of satisfaction was attained with the classes as 80% of thestudents of the experimental groups claimed to have liked it and to be interested in learning more about QM.     

A Graduate Programme in History,Philosophy and Science Teaching in Brazil

This paper discusses a Master's degree in History, Philosophy and Science Teaching recently created in Brazil. The paper will report alocal experience but its analysis raises questions of general interest, in particular to less developed countries. This interest concerns firstly the challenges of doing research and educating people in science teaching, and developing a scientific culture, and secondly the institutional obstacles that face new and/or interdisciplinary research groups. We anticipate the conclusion that in Brazilian conditions of today projects from emergent andinterdisciplinary groups can be damaged by political, cultural and institutionalobstacles.     

A Story Without an Ending: The Quantum Physics Controversy 1950–1970

For many decades there has been controversy about the epistemological and ontologicalimplications of quantum mechanics. This article will make some preliminary remarksabout how physicists managed the scientific, philosophical, and even political aspects,of the controversy in order to establish a modus operandi for their work. Theexistence of such a lasting controversy, and its history, is relevant to the teaching ofquantum physics because the choice of the interpretation to be taught impacts on students' understanding of quantum concepts and on their understanding of the goal of science.     

Contents of Volume 12 2003

Volume Contents

Contents of Volume 12 2003