Xiqu Cards

Wonder / Quantum Wonders

Quantum Wonders · a quick game

Myth or Fact?

Ten statements about quantum physics. Some are the sentences on our cards, and some are common myths. Can you tell which is which?

For ages 10 to adult · about 3 minutes · nothing to sign up for

All the statements

Every question comes from one of our 18 cards. Each card page explains what’s going on and where to read more.

Show all 36 statements and answers
  1. Mostly Empty Space Fact
    If an atom were as big as a stadium, its nucleus would be about the size of a pea in the middle. Card
  2. Mostly Empty Space Myth
    Since atoms are mostly empty, your hand could pass through a table. Electric forces and the exclusion principle stop it. Card
  3. Energy Comes in Steps Fact
    Light’s energy comes in tiny packets called quanta — more like a staircase than a ramp. Card
  4. Energy Comes in Steps Myth
    A “quantum leap” is a huge jump. In physics it means a sudden jump between two allowed levels, usually unimaginably small. Card
  5. Electron Clouds Fact
    Electrons don’t circle the nucleus like planets. They spread out in clouds that show where they are likely to be found. Card
  6. Electron Clouds Myth
    The cloud is a blur made by an electron racing around a track. An electron in an atom has no definite track at all. Card
  7. Wave–Particle Duality Fact
    Light and electrons travel like waves but arrive like particles, one dot at a time. Card
  8. Wave–Particle Duality Myth
    A photon keeps switching between being a wave and being a particle. It is one kind of thing that our everyday words don’t quite fit. Card
  9. The Double-Slit Experiment Fact
    Send electrons one at a time toward two slits, and a striped pattern still builds up — as if each went through both. Card
  10. The Double-Slit Experiment Myth
    Each electron splits into two pieces. Every dot on the detector is one whole electron. Card
  11. Quantum Tunnelling Fact
    A particle can sometimes turn up on the far side of a barrier it doesn’t have the energy to climb. Card
  12. Quantum Tunnelling Myth
    The particle punches a hole through the barrier. The barrier is left untouched. Card
  13. Superposition Fact
    Before it is measured, a quantum particle can be in a blend of possibilities — not just one we haven’t checked yet. Card
  14. Superposition Myth
    Superposition means there are two copies of the particle doing two things. It is one particle, described by one blend. Card
  15. The Uncertainty Principle Fact
    A particle can’t have both a perfectly sharp position and a perfectly sharp motion at the same time. Card
  16. The Uncertainty Principle Myth
    The uncertainty is only caused by clumsy measuring tools. The limit holds even for a perfect measurement. Card
  17. Schrödinger’s Cat Fact
    An imaginary cat in a box was dreamed up to show how strange quantum rules would look for big things. Card
  18. Schrödinger’s Cat Myth
    Schrödinger believed cats could really be alive and not alive at once. He invented the example to show something seemed wrong. Card
  19. Entanglement Fact
    Measure two entangled particles, however far apart: each result is random, yet when you compare them, they always pair up. Card
  20. Entanglement Myth
    Entanglement lets you send instant messages. It can’t; each side alone sees only randomness. Card
  21. No Secret Messages Fact
    Entanglement can’t carry a message; the pattern only appears when both sides compare notes. Card
  22. No Secret Messages Myth
    When one particle is measured, the other instantly “reports” it. The results are linked, but there is no usable signal. Card
  23. Observers Don’t Need Eyes Fact
    In quantum physics, “observing” means any interaction that leaves a trace — no person or eye required. Card
  24. Observers Don’t Need Eyes Myth
    Your thoughts change reality, so thinking hard can shape the world. No experiment supports this. Card
  25. Lasers Fact
    A laser is light whose photons march in step: the same colour, heading the same way. Card
  26. Lasers Myth
    Laser beams always glow like the streaks in films. From the side, you see a beam only where dust, mist or air scatters some of it. Card
  27. Atomic Clocks Fact
    One second is defined as 9,192,631,770 vibrations of the microwave that matches a quantum jump in a caesium atom. Card
  28. Atomic Clocks Myth
    Atomic clocks are radioactive. They use no decay, just a steady jump between two energy levels. Card
  29. Quantum Dots Fact
    Shrink certain crystals to a few nanometres across and their colour depends on their size. Card
  30. Quantum Dots Myth
    A material’s colour depends only on what it is made of. For quantum dots, size matters too. Card
  31. Qubits Fact
    A normal bit is 0 or 1. A qubit can be in a blend of both until it’s measured. Card
  32. Qubits Myth
    A qubit can store unlimited information. Measuring it gives you just one bit. Card
  33. Quantum Computers Fact
    Quantum computers aren’t just faster computers — they tackle certain problems in a completely different way. Card
  34. Quantum Computers Myth
    Quantum computers check all possible answers in parallel. They rely on interference, and only some problems benefit. Card
  35. Bose–Einstein Condensate Fact
    Cool atoms to billionths of a degree above absolute zero and thousands can merge into one giant quantum wave. Card
  36. Bose–Einstein Condensate Myth
    A Bose–Einstein condensate is just an extremely cold gas. It is a state of matter in which thousands of atoms share one quantum state. Card

About this quiz

The facts are the sentences printed on our Quantum Wonders cards, and the myths are the common mix-ups listed on each card page. Each round picks ten at random, so you can play again and get new ones. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

Spot a mistake? Please tell us at [email protected].