For a detailed lesson template with learning outcomes, keywords etc. click here.
1) Interactive
Lecture with demonstrations of Polarized Light
(20 minutes)
This first section is just classical wave polarization - not quantum. In this
lesson, the student observes the effects of polarizing filters
and calcite crystals on light. The surprising behavior of polarized
light is modelled as a transverse wave and is made quantitative by squaring
the appropriate component of the electric field vector. (For this lesson, you
need a demonstration set of three large polarizing filters, a calcite crystal,
overhead projector and a laser pointer or else a set of these for each small
group. There are some good suppliers
on line.) The lesson is outlined in the Polarized
Light PowerPoint slides. The students will need a copy of the worksheet.
Extra information and answers are provided in the teacher's
notes. The last five questions provide 15 minutes of homework. Excellent
reinforcement and extension for this is available on the Physics
2000 website.
New Addition (Dec 2009): How
do these new 3-D glasses work?
This lesson involves lasers which have safety concerns that you should be aware of.
2) Interactive
Lecture with thought experiments of Polarized Photons (20 minutes)
This lesson examines situations similar to those in part one, except that individual
photons must be considered, not continuous waves. This is very similar to the
mental switch that one must make with the two-slit experiment. The key aspects
that distinguish quantum physics from classical physics are highlighted: wave-particle
duality, quantized states, intrinsic randomness and uncertainty through measurments.The
lesson is outlined in the Polarized
Photons PowerPoint slide. The students will need a copy of the worksheet.
Extra information and answers are provided in the teacher's
notes. The last five questions provide 15 minutes of homework.
3) Interactive
Lecture with thought experiments of Entangled Photons (20 minutes)
This lesson gets almost philosophical as it examines more closely the connection
between measurements and observations. Entangled particles are introduced. The
conflicting interpretations of Bohr and Einstein are examined and tested using
entangled particles. The lesson is outlined in the Entangled
Photons PowerPoint slides. The students will need a copy of the worksheet.
Extra information and answers are provided in the teacher's
notes.The last five questions provide 15 minutes of homework.
4)Interactive
Lecture with games about Quantum Cryptography (20 minutes)
This is getting close to a math or computer science lesson. It explores how
polarized photons form the basis of a perfectly secure method of transferring
information - quantum cryptography. The students will need a copy of the worksheet.
Extra information and answers are provided in the teacher's
notes. The last two questions provides 20 minutes of homework and and have
the students playing quantum
Tic-Tac-Toe. This is much more interesting than the classical version and
simulates many of the key features of quantum mechanics.
Last Updated April 2009