This is the teacher guide for this lesson. A student-focused guide to assist learners as they perform the activity is available.
Created by Thomas T from Noun Project
Teacher Guide
Bits vs. quibits
The advantages to quantum computing - an augmented reality approach
What are the properties of qubits? How do they compare to classical bits? How are qubits used in quantum computers to store and transmit data?
- Smartphone
- Copy of Merge Cube printout (teacher must photocopy and print on cardstock (if possible) for each student - original found in kit)
- MARVLS: Quantum Computing App — Install by scanning the QR code below or visit: Apple App Store, https://apps.apple.com/us/app/marvls-quantum-computing/id6740221029 | Google Play Store, https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.MARVLS.MARVLSARforQuantumComputing&hl=en
Overview:
View augmented reality models of quantum computing concepts through your phone. You'll need a Merge Cube (link included to download). Click on a button to navigate to different topics. Tap the camera icon and point your camera towards the Merge Cube to visualize and interact with our MARVLS. Topics include bits, qubits, superposition, entanglement, electron spin, and logic gates.
- Total time3 class periods
- Education levelGrades 10-12
- Competency requiredKnowledge
- Content AreaQuantum information science
- Educational topicQuantum computing, entanglement, superposition, quantum logic gates
Physics teachers, computer science teachers, and physical science teachers have the background to guide their students through these lessons. The lessons are designed so that students can find the answers to the questions in the lessons by recording what they see when they use the App, interacting with the Merge cube, and recording what they observe. Teachers can refer to the answer key to guide students through the lessons. An answer key is provided.
Teacher Tips:
- Suggested STEP UP Everyday Actions to incorporate into the activity.
- Consider using whiteboards during discussions, so students have time to brainstorm and work through their ideas before saying them out loud.
- As students experiment, roam around the room to listen in on discussion and notice experiment techniques. If needed, stop the class and call over to a certain group that has hit on an important concept.
- Consider these responsive tools and strategies and/or open ended reflection questions to help push student thinking, and to help students track their thinking during the activity.
- Connect to students’ lives and create opportunities to develop STEM identity using these suggested extensions.
- Allow the work of physicists to come alive by signing up for a virtual visit from a working physicist using APS’ Physicist To-Go program. You can request a quantum physicist to talk about the concepts students learned in this activity!
Key terms
These are the key terms that students should know by the end of the lesson. They do not need to be front loaded. In fact, studies show that presenting key terms to students before the lesson may not be as effective as having students observe and witness the phenomenon the key terms illustrate beforehand and learn the formalized words afterward. For this reason, we recommend allowing students to grapple with the experiments without knowing these words and then exposing them to the formalized definitions afterward in the context of what they learned.
However, if these words are helpful for students on an IEP, ELL students, or anyone else who may need more support, please use at your discretion.
- Bit: The basic unit of classical information in a computer, which can have a value of 0 or 1.
- Binary: A base-2 number system used in classical computing, where numbers are expressed using only 0 and 1.
- Decimal: A base-10 number system that uses digits 0 through 9 (the system we use in everyday math).
- Qubit: The basic unit of quantum information. Unlike a bit, a qubit can be in a superposition of both 0 and 1 simultaneously.
- State: The current condition or value of a system. In quantum computing, the state of a qubit is a vector in a 2D complex vector space, often written as a combination of |0⟩ and |1⟩.
- Superposition: A quantum principle where a qubit can be in a combination of both |0⟩ and |1⟩ states simultaneously. This allows quantum computers to process many possibilities at once.
- Bloch Sphere: A 3D visualization of a single qubit’s state, where any point on the sphere represents a possible state of the qubit. |0⟩ and |1⟩ are at the poles, and superpositions lie on the surface.
- Measured: The act of observing a quantum system. When a qubit is measured, it collapses from superposition to a definite state, either 0 or 1, with a certain probability.
- Entanglement: A quantum phenomenon where the states of two or more qubits become linked, such that the state of one qubit instantly determines the state of the other, no matter how far apart they are.
- Logic Gates: In classical computing, these are circuits that process bits using logical operations (AND, OR, NOT). In quantum computing, quantum gates are unitary operations that manipulate qubits, often visualized as rotations on the Bloch sphere.
- Hadamard Gate (H): A quantum gate that puts a qubit into superposition of |0⟩ and|1⟩, with an equal likelihood of measuring either.
- Phase Rotation Gate: A quantum gate that rotates the phase of a qubit’s state, changing the relative angle between |0⟩ and |1⟩ on the Bloch sphere.
- Quantum NOT Gate: The quantum equivalent of the classical NOT gate. It transforms |0⟩ → |1⟩ and |1⟩ → |0⟩. On the Bloch sphere, this is a π rotation around the X-axis. It is often denoted by the letter X.
- Quantum CNOT Gate (Controlled-NOT Gate): A two-qubit gate where one qubit (the control) determines whether to apply a NOT gate to the second qubit (the target). If the control qubit is |0⟩, it does nothing to the target qubit. If the control qubit is |1⟩, it flips the target qubit. This gate creates entanglement when applied to qubits in superposition and is essential for quantum algorithms.
- Electron: A negatively charged fundamental particle with properties like charge and spin. In quantum computing, electrons (or their spin states) can be used to encode qubits.
- Spin Up / Spin Down: Quantum states of an electron’s intrinsic angular momentum (spin). They are often labeled as |↑⟩ (up) and |↓⟩ (down), and can be mapped to |0⟩ and |1⟩ in quantum computing.
- Laser: A device that emits coherent light of a specific frequency.
- Frequency: The number of wave cycles per second, measured in Hz (hertz). In quantum systems, the frequency of a laser or microwave pulse can be tuned to match the energy difference between quantum states, causing electron state transitions.
- Probability Amplitude Graph: A plot showing the amplitude of a qubit’s state vector. The squared magnitude of each amplitude gives the probability of measuring that state.
Objectives*
Students will be able to:
- Understand the basics of binary code
- Understand and describe the similarities and differences between bits and qubits and how they are used to store numbers and data
- Understand the differences in electron spin
- Understand how gates can be used to change the state of a qubit and prepare it for use in algorithms
*It is important to understand that student goals may be different and unique from the lesson goals. We recommend leaving room for students to set their own goals for each activity.
Before the experiment
We invite you to watch a brief video demonstration of the developer conducting the experiment you’ll be facilitating with your students.
Consider exploring Elisa Torres Durney’s scientist profile using the lessons ideas detailed on the Introduction found in your materials kits.
Print a Merge cube for each student or student group
Download the student guide to your Google Classroom, LMS, learning platform or print the student activity guide for each student or student group. They will follow the instructions using the MARVLS app and their Merge cube to complete the activity and answer questions towards understanding.
Setting up
Have students download the MARVLS app from the App Store or Google Play Store using the QR codes above.
Construct the Merge cube
During the experiment
Ask students what they know or think they know about
- Classical computers and how they work
- Quantum computers and how they work
- The differences between the two
Students will follow and complete the student guide using the MARVLS app and the Merge cube.
Conclusion
Students will answer all questions in student guide
Teacher answer key found here.
Ask students to reflect on their pre-activity answers and add, change, amend answers to the questions, What do they know about
- classical computers and how they work
- quantum computers and how they work
- The differences between the two
- Real-world connections
- Sign up for Physicists To-Go to have a scientist talk to your students.
- Suggestions for drawing, illustrating, presenting content in creative ways
- Engineering and design challenges connected to the content
- Qookies game: Your journey through the world of quantum science begins in a research laboratory.
**Real world situations/connections can be used as is, or changed to better fit a student’s own community and cultural context.
- Next Generation Science StandardQuantum computing is not in the Next Generation Science Standards, however after the passage of the US National Quantum Initiative Act in December 2018 [1], the National Science Foundation and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (WHOSTP) assembled an interagency working group who designed the QIS K-12 Key Concepts Framework, an initial set of expectations and learning goals, which will be useful to curriculum developers and teachers seeking to develop physics lessons and activities for teaching QIS K-12 Key Concepts. QIS Key Concepts: High School Physics 1. Quantum information science (QIS) exploits quantum principles to transform how information is acquired, encoded, manipulated, and applied. Quantum information science encompasses quantum computing, quantum communication, and quantum sensing, and spurs other advances in science and technology. 4. The quantum bit, or qubit, is the fundamental unit of quantum information, and is encoded in a physical system, such as polarization states of light, energy states of an atom, or spin states of an electron. 7. Quantum computers, which use qubits and quantum operations, will solve certain complex computational problems more efficiently than classical computers. High School Computer Science See QIS K-12 CS Key Concepts for CS Classes (https://q12education.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Jan2025-v2-Key-Concepts-for-CS-Classes.pdf).
Credits
Developed by: Michele McColgan - Siena College
Piloted by: Kimberly Becker, Ann Marie Dubick, Nataliya Fletcher, Cindy King, Nicholas Sordillo
©️PhysicsQuest 2025 by American Physical Society is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
License
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes