Teaching Quantum is fun
I'm really enjoying teaching Quantum Mechanics this year. I've got some fun and interested students, and it's an absolute thrill to watch them figure this stuff out (and to completely blow their minds with quantum weirdness from time to time).
Today's class was a great example: I spent half an hour carefully explaining what a "hidden variables" theory is and why that approach is so much more sensible than the usual interpretation of quantum mechanics. I showed them how they could use very general statements about all possible hidden variable theories to make predictions about the results of various experiments. And then at the end of the class period, I got to see them exclaim in frustration when I did a calculation and showed them that those predictions are inconsistent with the predictions of quantum mechanics, and told them that the quantum prediction is confirmed every time someone tries that sort of experiment.
One of my favorite things about the way Townsend approaches this subject in his book is that students are confronted with the crazy aspects of quantum mechanics right from the start and then repeatedly along the way, so that they have just as much time to improve their mistaken intuition as they do to master the technical details of the calculations. It's a real joy to see them go from disbelief to furious concentration to dawning understanding. I like my job.
Today's class was a great example: I spent half an hour carefully explaining what a "hidden variables" theory is and why that approach is so much more sensible than the usual interpretation of quantum mechanics. I showed them how they could use very general statements about all possible hidden variable theories to make predictions about the results of various experiments. And then at the end of the class period, I got to see them exclaim in frustration when I did a calculation and showed them that those predictions are inconsistent with the predictions of quantum mechanics, and told them that the quantum prediction is confirmed every time someone tries that sort of experiment.
One of my favorite things about the way Townsend approaches this subject in his book is that students are confronted with the crazy aspects of quantum mechanics right from the start and then repeatedly along the way, so that they have just as much time to improve their mistaken intuition as they do to master the technical details of the calculations. It's a real joy to see them go from disbelief to furious concentration to dawning understanding. I like my job.