Teaching quantum physics to everyone: pictures offer a new way of understanding

May 29, 2025

Bob Coecke, chief scientist at Quantinuum, shares his groundbreaking approach to teaching quantum physics through diagrams, making it accessible to everyone. Joining him is Arjan Dhawan, a mathematics student who participated in a summer course aimed at teenagers. They discuss the urgency of understanding quantum concepts as technology evolves, the surprising success of students mastering complex ideas, and the benefits of visual learning in grasping challenging topics, all designed to engage a broader audience in the quantum revolution.

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INSIGHT

Quantum Revolution Demands Inclusivity

Quantum technology is on the verge of revolutionizing daily life, demanding broad understanding beyond experts.
Inclusive education in quantum physics is crucial to prepare society for upcoming changes and empower wider decision-making.

INSIGHT

Diagrammatic Language for Quantum

Quantum physics can be taught through an alternative language based on diagrams, removing complex math barriers.
This approach leverages process thinking inspired by computer science to make quantum concepts more accessible.

ANECDOTE

2023 Pilot Quantum Summer Course

The 2023 pilot summer course taught UK high schoolers quantum physics using video lectures and interactive online tutorials.
About 50 teenagers engaged in a university-style experience despite online teaching challenges.

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Quantum science is enjoying a renaissance as nascent quantum computers emerge from the lab and quantum sensors are being used for practical applications.

As the technologies we use become more quantum in nature, it follows that everyone should have a basic understanding of quantum physics. To explore how quantum physics can be taught to the masses, I am joined by Arjan Dhawan, Aleks Kissinger and Bob Coecke – who are all based in the UK.

Coecke is chief scientist at Quantinuum – which develops quantum computing hardware and software. Kissinger is associate professor of quantum computing at the University of Oxford; and Dhawan is studying mathematics at the University of Durham.

Kissinger and Coecke have developed a way of teaching quantum physics using diagrams. In 2023, Oxford and Quantinuum joined forces to use the method in a pilot summer programme for 15 to 17 year-olds. Dhawan was one of their students.

The books mentioned in the podcast are Picturing Quantum Processes: A First Course in Quantum Theory and Diagrammatic Reasoning by Bob Coecke and Aleks Kissinger; and Quantum in Pictures: A New Way to Understand the Quantum World by Bob Coecke and Stefano Gogioso.

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This article forms part of Physics World‘s contribution to the 2025 International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ), which aims to raise global awareness of quantum physics and its applications.

Stayed tuned to Physics World and our international partners throughout the next 12 months for more coverage of the IYQ.

Find out more on our quantum channel.