Endless Fun in high dimensions -- A Quantum Card Game

TL;DR

This paper introduces a strategic card game that simulates quantum computing concepts, including superposition, entanglement, and high-dimensional states, to enhance quantum physics education and student engagement.

Contribution

It presents a novel educational card game that visualizes quantum phenomena and computational tasks, aiding understanding of complex quantum concepts through interactive play.

Findings

Players experience quantum superposition and entanglement firsthand.

The game improves students' conceptual understanding of quantum states.

It is adaptable for classroom use to increase interest in quantum physics.

Abstract

Quantum technologies, i.e., technologies benefiting from the features of quantum physics such as objective randomness, superposition, and entanglement, have enabled an entirely different way of distributing and processing information. The enormous progress over the last decades has also led to an urgent need for young professionals and new educational programs. Here, we present a strategic card game in which the building blocks of a quantum computer can be experienced. While playing, participants start with the lowest quantum state, play cards to "program" a quantum computer, and aim to achieve the highest possible quantum state. Thereby they experience quantum features such as superposition, interference, and entanglement. By also including high-dimensional quantum states, i.e., systems that can take more than two possible values, and by developing different multi-player modes, the game can help the players to understand complex quantum state operations and can also be used as an introduction to quantum computational tasks for students. As such, it can also be used in a classroom environment to increase the conceptual understanding, interest, and motivation of a student. Therefore, the presented game contributes to the ongoing efforts on gamifying quantum physics education with a particular focus on the counter-intuitive features which quantum computing is based on.