APS Summit 2026: Why not talk about measurement?
Mar 16, 2026·
Jer Steeger
Rachel E. Scherr
Jer, Rachel, and five students from Rachel’s quantum mechanics course at APS 2026.Abstract
Conventional wisdom suggests we should not teach physics undergraduates about different approaches to measurement in quantum mechanics. We challenge this wisdom by demonstrating that different interpretations were central to key breakthroughs in the second quantum revolution: namely, decoherence, non-locality, and state estimation. Thus, teaching measurement might bring students’ epistemologies closer to those of experts.
Date
Mar 16, 2026 4:00 PM — 4:15 PM
Event
Location
Online & In-Person
Denver, CO
Slides
Authors
Jer Steeger
(they/he)
British Academy International Fellow
Jer Steeger is a historian and philosopher of physics taking a pluralist approach to issues in quantum foundations and physics education research.
Authors
Rachel E. Scherr
(she/her)
Associate Professor
Rachel E. Scherr conducts research in the teaching and learning of physics as well as physics disciplinary culture and practices.