Quantum Physics at Work
Learn the core formulas of quantum mechanics and see how wave-particle duality, tunneling, and superposition power the modern technologies in your pocket.
Like Duolingo, but for Quantum Physics at Work. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
A short one: 12 levels across 2 sections, about 24 minutes end to end, roughly 5 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Putting the Wave-Particle Rules to Work and Tapping Tunneling and Superposition. It starts from scratch.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in Quantum Physics at Work
- Light energy transfers only in whole, indivisible packets called quanta
- Lowering light intensity decreases the number of packets arriving, not the size of individual packets
- According to E = hf, photon energy scales with frequency (color), not beam brightness
- Violet light has a higher frequency and more energy per photon than red light
- Increasing brightness just shoots out more photons of identical individual energy
- An electron absorbs light one whole photon at a time, not by slowly accumulating energy across multiple hits
- If a single photon lacks the threshold energy, no amount of brightness or exposure time will liberate an electron
- Switching to a higher-frequency photon with enough individual energy instantly knocks an electron loose
- Incoming photons knock loose trapped electrons inside the sensor
- Freed electrons collect to create an electric current
- The sensor measures the total electron count to determine pixel brightness
- Different semiconductor materials require different minimum photon energies to free an electron
- Infrared photons carry low frequency, so detecting them requires a material with a very low release threshold
- Ultraviolet photons carry high frequency, so UV-selective materials use high thresholds to ignore visible light
- Wavelength is inversely proportional to momentum (λ = h/p)
- Faster speed increases momentum, which compresses the matter wavelength into a shorter wave
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 Quantum Physics at Work 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.
Picture this: you turn the dimmer switch down on a lamp. What actually happens to the packets of light hitting the wall?
Get it right to open this lesson and 11 more in the app.
How to learn Quantum Physics at Work, step by step
Go in order. 12 short levels across 2 sections, about 24 minutes in all, five minutes a day.
- 1
Putting the Wave-Particle Rules to Work
- The Energy Packet: E = hf and Digital Sensors
- Matter as a Wave: λ = h/p and Electron Microscopes
- 2
Tapping Tunneling and Superposition
- Passing Through Barriers: Tunneling in Flash Storage
- Superposition and Uncertainty: Clocks and Cryptography
2 sections · 4 units · 12 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Questions about Quantum Physics at Work
How do I learn Quantum Physics at Work?
Go in order: start with Putting the Wave-Particle Rules to Work, then Tapping Tunneling and Superposition. On Tomo that's 12 short levels, about 24 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 Quantum Physics at Work?
Yes. Tomo works like Duolingo: short daily lessons, streaks and quick quizzes. Quantum Physics at Work is one of its free courses, and you can type any other topic to get a course of your own.
Is the Quantum Physics at Work course free?
Yes. Quantum Physics at Work 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 Quantum Physics at Work?
12 levels across 2 sections, about 24 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 Quantum Physics at Work?
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
Quantum Physics at Work is taught in the Storyteller style: every lesson is a story. 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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Start Quantum Physics at Work today.
Download Tomo, search Quantum Physics at Work, and play your first lesson in under a minute.