Quantum Exchange Frequently Asked Questions

What material will I find on the Quantum Exchange?

The Quantum Exchange contains information about and links to materials useful for teaching quantum physics. The focus is on college and university physics majors' courses, but much of the material can be used at other levels. These materials are meant to supplement standard quantum textbooks.

How do I find materials on the Quantum Exchange?

You can search the Quantum Exchange by keyword, author, or organization. The "Advanced Search" on the search toolbar allows searches to be filtered by subject, grade level, cost, and item type. Alternatively, you can browse through items by their Resource Category: Pedagogy (teaching material and hints), Applications (quantum applied to experimental or other situations), Background (references, history, or similar resources), Activities (items designed for direct student use), and Tutorials (guided explanations of the physics). Each of these categories is then sub-divided by topic.

What is the difference between searching and browsing?

Searching allows you to look for specific keywords in the title, subject, and description of items, or to search for author names, organizations, or URLs. Browsing provides a broad view of materials using the information structure of the collection.

Why are the topical lists different when I browse different Resource Categories?

Under each Resource Category, only the topics that have materials in that Resource Category are displayed. As more materials are loaded into the Quantum Exchange, most of the topics headings will be included for each Resource Category.

What are the topics used to describe materials on the Quantum Exchange?

The materials are divided into 11 broad topical categories: Approximation Techniques; Bound State Systems; Entanglement and Quantum Information; Foundations and Measurement Theory; General (usually resources covering multiple topics); Multi-particle Systems; Probability, Waves, and Interference; Relativistic Quantum Mechanics; Scattering and Continuum State Systems; Spin and Finite Dimensional Systems; Symmetries in Quantum Mechanics. Similar 1D, 2D, and 3D problems, both time-dependent and time-independent, are grouped in the same categories.

What information do I get from searches?

A Quantum Exchange search provides a list of items that match your search criteria. This list includes, for each item, the title, the URL, the start of the description, the author, the grade level, and the subject. The Title is linked to detailed information about the item and the URL is linked directly to the item itself on the web.

How can I organize my search results?

Search results can be ordered alphabetically by the subject, title, or the author, or sorted by the primary grade level.

Do I need to join the Quantum Exchange?

No, you may search and browse the database without joining the Quantum Exchange.

How can I participate in the Quantum Exchange?

Registered users of the Quantum Exchange can submit suggestions for materials to add to the database and can provide comments and join discussions about the materials.

What are the benefits of joining the Quantum Exchange?

Members of the Quantum Exchange have additional tools that improve their use of the site. These include the ability to set preferences that sort materials according to their needs, a filing cabinet to store resources they find useful, discussion forums with other users, and the ability to recommend resources for inclusion in the database.

What is required to join the Quantum Exchange?

To join, users must provide their name and email. Further information can be provided, if desired, to personalize the Quantum Exchange for the user and enhance interactions with others.

If I submit an item, will it show up on the Quantum Exchange?

Member submissions of items to the Quantum Exchange are reviewed by the Quantum Exchange Editor and Editorial Board. If accepted, more detailed information is collected about the items before posting. Acceptance depends on an item's suitability for meeting the needs of teachers.

How can I add comments about an item on the Quantum Exchange?

For members who are logged in, there is a link to add comments about an item on search lists and the detailed information page for the item. Links to these comments appear on the detailed information page.

What is the "Filing Cabinet"?

The filing cabinet is a place for Quantum Exchange members to store bookmarks to Quantum Exchange items. These bookmarks are stored in folders on the ComPADRE site so that they can be accessed whenever the member is logged into any of the ComPADRE collections. Lists that result from searching can also be stored in the Filing Cabinet.

Why do pages on the Quantum Exchange change?

The Quantum Exchange is a dynamic collection, meaning the information provided depends on a user's requests and the information that exists in the database. As the database grows, the displayed pages will change. A Filing Cabinet is provided to registered users for storage and simple recovery of information that they find important.

Is there a cost for the Quantum Exchange?

The Quantum Exchange is a free and open resource provided as service by the American Association of Physics Teachers and its partners. It is supported, in part, by funding from the APS Campaign for Physics and the National Science Foundation and is part of the NSF National Science Digital Library.

Who can I contact for further information?

You can contact the Quantum Exchange staff using either the feedback form or through the email editor@thequantumexchange.org