Drew Central Fourth Graders Celebrate “World Quantum Day”
April 20th, 2022 by Drew Central Schools
On April 14, World Quantum Day was celebrated by fourth graders at Drew Central Elementary. The day’s activities were supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Think small. Oh, and also colder. Atoms temp 0.001 K and size 300 picometers. Yep, right there. That’s quantum. Pretty tiny. Might seem insignificant, but quantum, the science of the super small and the super cold, has transformed our lives. It gave us lasers for surgery, for trapping and cooling and investigating atoms, and cat toys! Quantum technology gave us the atomic clock, which is the beating heart of GPS, allowing us to navigate all over the world wherever we want to go, avoiding traffic jams and finding our way home. Also, it’s the science behind MRI scans that let us see what we’re made of that’s just the beginning. Scientists and engineers use quantum everyday to understand nature and build new technologies. Quantum physicist, Ana Valdes Curiel shared her thoughts with the students, “The idea of being a scientist was always exciting to me. Now as a physicist, I build quantum sensors. It’s thrilling to send these sensors into space. They could help us learn something new about the universe!”
In one activity, students were challenged in the game Qupcakes. The goals were: Understand how to use quantum operations for simple circuits. Understand that quantum computers are very unreliable. Understand how to simplify quantum circuits.
The game featured an absent-minded baker. Each student was the server, and the baker kept making the wrong thing! The job was to use special quantum operators to transform the cupcakes into the ones the customers ordered. After playing, they discussed with a partner what they thought of the game. Did the operations make sense? What did they think of the H gate and the superposition cupcakes? Was that interesting? Was there anything challenging about the game? Would they have played more had they had the chance? Would they like to see more levels? Last, a final video was viewed that tied the game mechanics to quantum systems.
This day was designed to inspire students all over the world to dream about careers in the science of quantum: Quantum Photonics, Information Science, Computer Engineer, STEM Educator, Information Theorist, Experimental Physics, Curriculum Director, and Computer Science Physicist. The motto for the day was “Let’s Quantum Together!
