Presentation description

Quantum mechanics is widely perceived as difficult and unapproachable. Instruction is often limited to upper-division physics courses, but it is important to expand the accessibility of quantum to undergraduates. Educators often use analogies during instruction to promote learning. Previous research has examined how students' intuitions and prior knowledge shape their understanding of quantum concepts through these comparisons, and we want to expand on this work. In this study, we conducted qualitative interviews with ten undergraduate students to investigate how analogies shape their understanding of quantum mechanics. One analogy used in the interviews compared wavefunctions to vibrating guitar strings. We found that students drew on classical physics to interpret this analogy while recognizing key differences between classical and quantum systems. This suggests that analogies can serve as effective learning tools that help students navigate unfamiliar quantum ideas. Instruction that builds on students' previously established resources and intuitions through analogies can make quantum mechanics more approachable and support efforts to integrate quantum earlier in undergraduate education.