Why don't they teach Quantum Physics in high school?

[ZapperZ]

In some places they do. Here in Ontario, Quantum Mechanics is one of the units of Grade 12 Physics. Just thought i'd put that out there.

This is really an old thread. But still, you should read the entire thread, because you need to define, at this level, what you mean by "teach" and what you mean by "quantum mechanics". I seriously doubt that the kids are being taught how to solve the Schrödinger Equation, which, to most people, is "quantum mechanics".

Just showing how you get milk from a cow does not make one a dairy farmer.

Zz.

 

[QuantumCurt]

In some places they do. Here in Ontario, Quantum Mechanics is one of the units of Grade 12 Physics. Just thought i'd put that out there.

As ZapperZ pointed out, actually learning Quantum Mechanics is pretty distinct from discussing a few aspects of quantum mechanics. An introductory general physics course will cover some of the qualitative ideas of QM and cover things like determining the quantum numbers of a particle by simple inspection. However, this course isn't going to discuss QM in any quantitative depth. It's a ~2 week unit within a much broader

This earlier exposure is of course a very good thing, but I'm not sure that this is what's really being suggested by 'teaching QM in high school.' It's not unusual for high school physics courses to have a full semester of classical mechanics and a full semester of electromagnetism. However, it is very unusual for a high school to have a full semester of QM. The level of mathematical knowledge required to actually do QM is well beyond the scope of the majority of high schools, and rarely does a high school have a teacher that is genuinely qualified to teach such a class.

 

[Dishsoap]

I did a little bit of super-simple algebra-based quantum in high school. It focused mostly on the historical development, experiments, and some important results. Of course, I didn't really understand quantum theory at all after that, but I still think seeing it was important because it really made me interested in physics. I had always been mildly interested in physics, but getting that taste of modern physics made me really interested to learn more. I'm almost certain that seeing QM in high school had an effect on the degree path I've chosen, even if I didn't learn any "real" QM.

For that reason I think it may be good to give a taste of modern physics in high school. If nothing else, it might convince some kids that physics isn't so boring after all.

Same. The physics class I took wasn't even algebra-based, since pre-algebra wasn't a pre-req for the class. My teacher was amazing though, and after class he would talk to us about all the neat things that physics has to offer outside of F=ma. He minored in physics in undergrad, but had still taken a quantum class, so he told us the gist behind the uncertainty principle, and other cool stuff.

That... that was why I chose to study physics.

 

[DEvens]

High school is oriented towards putting most of the students into the workforce at the end of grade 12 (or whatever the equivalent is for those who finish). So it is mostly putting out auto mechanics and house electricians and secretaries and various other occupations like that. Perfectly honorable occupations, and required by society, but not strongly in need of quantum mechanics.

 

[thegreenlaser]

High school is oriented towards putting most of the students into the workforce at the end of grade 12 (or whatever the equivalent is for those who finish). So it is mostly putting out auto mechanics and house electricians and secretaries and various other occupations like that. Perfectly honorable occupations, and required by society, but not strongly in need of quantum mechanics.

I would actually disagree. Most of what students learn in high school is not really useful in most workplaces. Most people get by just fine without ever needing to solve quadratic equations or look for symbolism in classic literature. I feel like high school is more oriented towards giving people a base from which to pursue university degrees. For all the kids going straight to work or going to trade schools, I think it tends to be justified by the "well-rounded person" argument. And maybe that's even the right way to do it---truly practical skills are tough to teach in a classroom setting. Regardless, for better or for worse, I think high schools have a much different focus than giving kids an education that will be immediately applicable after they graduate.