Quantum Entanglement Pedagogy

Quantum entanglement is a key resource for the use of multi-qubit quantum states in quantum computing and quantum information science. However, the traditional ways of teaching about entanglement deploy challenging concepts such as tensor product Hilbert spaces and tensor product operators. In this talk I will describe a much simpler method to introduce quantum entanglement at a level appropriate for high school and undergraduate students. This approach makes use of basic probability theory (joint, total, and conditional probabilities) and the Born rule, which relates quantum state coefficients to the probabilities for measurement outcomes. In addition, this method removes many of the mysteries surrounding entanglement such as “spooky action at a distance” and prepares the students for entanglement applications such as quantum state teleportation, quantum encryption, and superdense coding.