ERIC Number: EJ1452904
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Mar
Pages: 6
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: EISSN-1938-1328
Quantum Particle-in-a-Sandbox: A Video Game That Explores the Time-Dependent Wave Function for Any Arbitrary One-Dimensional Potential
Journal of Chemical Education, v101 n3 p1286-1291 2024
We present a tool, one that is both a stand-alone web-based video game and a Python package, designed for students to explore a particle's wave function on one-dimensional potential surfaces. The tool relies on a basis set formalism and can, therefore, explore any one-dimensional potential surface imaginable. This tool also lets students interact with the wave function and is the first of its kind to explore concepts such as the superposition principle and wave function collapse; its time-dependent nature shows how any wave function evolves over time, allowing for exploration of other concepts such as the uncertainty principle. The video game's ease of use makes these concepts accessible to anyone, without prior chemistry or programming background--though we expect that it would be most useful for undergraduate physical chemistry students and instructors. Preliminary use of QPiaS in a physical chemistry undergraduate course shows encouraging feedback regarding advancements in learning outcomes.
Descriptors: Science Instruction, Teaching Methods, Technology Uses in Education, Educational Games, Video Games, Scientific Concepts, Physics, Time, Chemistry, Quantum Mechanics, Scientific Principles, Usability, College Science, Undergraduate Students, Science Achievement
Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A