How Quantum Physics Works
Explore the strange rules governing nature at its smallest scales. Discover why particles act like waves, how probability replaces certainty, and how quantum weirdness powers modern technology.
Like Duolingo, but for How Quantum Physics Works. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
A short one: 9 levels across 2 sections, about 18 minutes end to end, roughly 4 days at five minutes a day. It moves through The Microscopic Rulebook and Quantum Reality in the Real World. It starts from scratch.
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Key ideas in How Quantum Physics Works
- Light moves and ripples through open space like a continuous wave
- Light deposits its energy at a target in discrete lumps called photons
- A detector records light not as a gradual smear, but as individual pinpoint hits
- Solid matter particles like electrons display wave behavior at quantum scales
- Electrons passing through two slits interfere with each other's paths like ripples on water
- Over time, individual electron impacts map out a striped wave interference pattern rather than two simple shadows
- An unobserved quantum particle travels as a wave of probability across all possible routes simultaneously
- Even when sent one at a time, each particle interferes with itself as it passes through both slits
- A single particle does not possess a definite single path until it is measured
- Placing a detector to observe which path a particle takes forces it into a definite position
- Detecting which slit the particle went through destroys its spread-out wave behavior
- Collapsing the wave leaves behind two plain particle bands on the back wall instead of an interference pattern
- In quantum physics, an unmeasured particle genuinely exists across multiple potential states at once
- Superposition is not a case of hidden information waiting to be revealed, like a coin under a hand
- Measuring forces the quantum system into a single definite outcome
- Schrödinger designed the cat scenario to challenge the idea that quantum rules translate cleanly to everyday objects
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives How Quantum Physics Works the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
When light hits a target, how does it deliver its energy?
Get it right to open this lesson and 8 more in the app.
How to learn How Quantum Physics Works, step by step
Go in order. 9 short levels across 2 sections, about 18 minutes in all, five minutes a day.
- 1
The Microscopic Rulebook
- Wave-Particle Duality and the Double Slit
- Superposition and the Uncertainty Principle
- 2
Quantum Reality in the Real World
- Entanglement and Non-Local Connections
- Quantum Tunneling in Everyday Devices
2 sections · 4 units · 9 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Questions about How Quantum Physics Works
How do I learn How Quantum Physics Works?
Go in order: start with The Microscopic Rulebook, then Quantum Reality in the Real World. On Tomo that's 9 short levels, about 18 minutes in all, played five minutes a day. Start free and play the first level in under a minute.
Is there a Duolingo-style app for How Quantum Physics Works?
Yes. Tomo works like Duolingo: short daily lessons, streaks and quick quizzes. How Quantum Physics Works is one of its free courses, and you can type any other topic to get a course of your own.
Is the How Quantum Physics Works course free?
Yes. How Quantum Physics Works is playable on Tomo's free plan, which doesn't expire. No credit card, no waitlist. Download the app and start your first lesson.
How long does it take to learn How Quantum Physics Works?
9 levels across 2 sections, about 18 minutes of play in total. It's built for five minutes a day, so you finish it a little at a time instead of all at once.
Do I need any background to start How Quantum Physics Works?
No. It's pitched at a beginner level, so it starts where you are and builds up. If you can tap a phone, you can start.
Tomo is in ChatGPT
Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.
Add Tomo to ChatGPT- What to ask
- “Make me a Tomo course on black holes.” “Turn this chat into a Tomo course.”
- What you get
- Quick questions with instant feedback, hearts and stars, ready to play in about a minute.
- Where it goes
- No sign-up to start. Connect your Tomo account and your streak carries on in the app.
You pick the voice
How Quantum Physics Works is taught in the Bestie style: your friend who just gets it. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Quantum Physics for the Real World
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Start How Quantum Physics Works today.
Download Tomo, search How Quantum Physics Works, and play your first lesson in under a minute.