The Quantum World
Discover the strange rules that govern the universe at its smallest scale. Learn why particles can be in two places at once and how this 'weird' science powers your smartphone.
Like Duolingo, but for The Quantum World. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
24 levels across 4 sections, about 48 minutes end to end, roughly 10 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Breaking the Rules of Reality; Waves, Particles, and Uncertainty; The Power of Observation; and Quantum Physics in Your Pocket. It starts from scratch.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in The Quantum World
- Energy is not a smooth stream but is made of individual units called quanta
- Electrons disappear from one state and reappear in another instantly
- You cannot have 'half' of a fundamental energy packet
- There is no 'travel time' or intermediate path during a quantum leap
- The total energy is always a multiple of these base packets
- The transition is an all-or-nothing jump between fixed positions
- Energy as discrete packets
- The instantaneous nature of a quantum leap
- The universe has a 'minimum resolution' beyond which things aren't smooth
- Classical physics (Newtonian) works for large objects but fails at the atomic scale
- The concept of energy as discrete packets (quanta) versus a continuous flow
- At the macro scale, the graininess is hidden because the 'pixels' are so small
- Quantum effects are only noticeable when dealing with the very small
- Nature behaves like a digital screen rather than an analog painting
- Quantum particles do not have a single definite location until measured
- The 'pixelated' nature of the universe at the smallest scale
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 The Quantum World 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.
When an electron makes a 'quantum leap' between two positions, how does it get there?
Get it right to open this lesson and 23 more in the app.
How to learn The Quantum World, step by step
Go in order. 24 short levels across 4 sections, about 48 minutes in all, five minutes a day.
- 1
Breaking the Rules of Reality
- The Quantum Leap
- Being in Two Places at Once
- 2
Waves, Particles, and Uncertainty
- The Wave-Particle Mystery
- The Uncertainty Principle
- 3
The Power of Observation
- Measurement and Reality
- Spooky Action at a Distance
- 4
Quantum Physics in Your Pocket
- How Quantum Built the Modern World
- The Future of Quantum Computing
4 sections · 8 units · 24 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Questions about The Quantum World
How do I learn The Quantum World?
Go in order: start with Breaking the Rules of Reality, then Waves, Particles, and Uncertainty, then The Power of Observation, then Quantum Physics in Your Pocket. On Tomo that's 24 short levels, about 48 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 The Quantum World?
Yes. Tomo works like Duolingo: short daily lessons, streaks and quick quizzes. The Quantum World is one of its free courses, and you can type any other topic to get a course of your own.
Is The Quantum World free?
Yes. The Quantum World 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 The Quantum World?
24 levels across 4 sections, about 48 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 The Quantum World?
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
The Quantum World is taught in the Bestie style: your friend who just gets it. 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.
More Science on Tomo
Quantum Physics in Your Pocket
Discover how the strange rules of the subatomic world power your smartphone, heal your body, and define the future of technology.
Quantum Physics: The Rules of Reality
Discover the strange and beautiful laws that govern the subatomic world, from particles that exist in two places at once to the quantum secrets inside your smartphone.
Quantum Physics for the Real World
Discover the strange rules that govern the smallest building blocks of our universe and how they power the technology in your pocket.
Quantum Physics: The Rules of the Very Small
Explore the strange and beautiful world of the subatomic. From particles that exist in two places at once to the technology in your pocket, discover how the universe works when nobody is looking.
How Quantum Physics Works
Peel back the surface of everyday reality to discover the strange, pixelated universe underneath. Explore wave-particle duality, entanglement, and the quantum mechanics powering our modern technologies.
Making Sense of Quantum Physics
Discover how nature behaves at its smallest scales, where particles act like waves and matter exists in multiple states at once. Explore core principles like superposition, uncertainty, and entanglement without getting lost in advanced mathematics. Connect counterintuitive subatomic rules to the everyday technology they make possible.
Start The Quantum World today.
Download Tomo, search The Quantum World, and play your first lesson in under a minute.