A teaching approach to quantum computing at the secondary school level

Kristóf Tóth; Philipp Bitzenbauer

doi:10.29333/ejmste/17388

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Kristóf Tóth ¹ ² ^* , Philipp Bitzenbauer ³ ^*

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¹ Institute of Physics and Astronomy, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, HUNGARY² Czuczor Gergely Benedictine Secondary School, Győr, HUNGARY³ Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, GERMANY^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

This paper presents a minimalist teaching-learning sequence for quantum computation in secondary education (5 × 60 minutes) grounded in the photon polarization approach. The framework has been tailored to the secondary school level education omitting complex numbers, matrices, and programming while relying on physics concepts with which students are already familiar from photon polarization. Employing a design-based research methodology, we identified the minimal set of concepts necessary for conceptual understanding: Dirac notation, the X and H quantum gates, and the quantum advantage demonstrated using the penny flip game as an example, which was tested on a real quantum computer. Students also explore the B92 cryptographic protocol and quantum entanglement in this course.

Keywords

quantum computing
quantum information science
quantum physics
polarization
photon
qubit

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, Volume 21, Issue 11, November 2025, Article No: em2736

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/17388

Publication date: 09 Nov 2025

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Article Downloads: 11

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APA

Tóth, K., & Bitzenbauer, P. (2025). A teaching approach to quantum computing at the secondary school level. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 21(11), em2736. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/17388

Vancouver

Tóth K, Bitzenbauer P. A teaching approach to quantum computing at the secondary school level. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2025;21(11):em2736. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/17388

AMA

Tóth K, Bitzenbauer P. A teaching approach to quantum computing at the secondary school level. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2025;21(11), em2736. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/17388

Chicago

Tóth, Kristóf, and Philipp Bitzenbauer. "A teaching approach to quantum computing at the secondary school level". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 2025 21 no. 11 (2025): em2736. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/17388

Harvard

Tóth, K., and Bitzenbauer, P. (2025). A teaching approach to quantum computing at the secondary school level. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 21(11), em2736. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/17388

MLA

Tóth, Kristóf et al. "A teaching approach to quantum computing at the secondary school level". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, vol. 21, no. 11, 2025, em2736. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/17388