# Application of Virtual Reality in Learning Quantum Mechanics
## 1 Introduction
Virtual reality is able to simulate our real world with 3D visualization to demonstrate principles, abstract concepts, and experimental processes in a realistic way, which can provide students with a learning situation close to the real world such that they can obtain exemplary knowledge and help them understand the internal meaning of these concepts or principles. Many scholars have been engaged in research combining virtual reality and educational issues. [PERSON] and [PERSON] [20] pointed out that some universities hope to develop new learning environments, allowing students to experience the operation process without danger or risk (for example, anatomy or dangerous chemistry experiments), and virtual reality can solve such problems because students can manipulate things in the virtual environment, thus supporting the \"learning by doing\" and \"active inquiry\" environments required in science education [21]. In the traditional teaching model, learners obtain knowledge passively in the classroom, so it is difficult to experience real situations. Virtual reality allows learners to manipulate objects as they would in the real world, which is a more effective way to attain knowledge and develop concepts through active participation and interactive exploration [22]. In the research field of science education, there are many natural phenomena that cannot be presented in their original appearance, so science teachers often use computer animation to simulate these phenomena. Although learners can see the visual effects, they cannot internalize into their cognitive structure through the migration process. If the virtual environment is used to enable learners to manipulate the variables in the simulated situation and observe the results, it can modify their behavior and way of thinking to figure out a method for solving the problem [23]. This is a learning method that transforms abstract knowledge into concrete experience, which can make up for the deficiency of applying what they have learned in the traditional teaching methods. Taking this research as an example, if learners can observe the wave phenomena of electrons and photons through performing virtual experiments, it is helpful for understanding the concept of wave-particle duality in quantum mechanics. The theory of situated learning [24] states that learners can acquire knowledge in a real or virtual situation by interacting with people and things through active participation. The main goal of situated learning is to help learners find solutions to problems through observation, participation, and discovery. [PERSON], [PERSON] and [PERSON] [25] argued that knowledge is a partial product of the context, activity, and culture and is situated in the environment where it is developed and used. They proposed teaching strategies such as authenticity, interweaving, connection, reflection, circulation, and multimedia to enable learners to gain knowledge and experience from the interactive process. This study used the interactive and situated learning environment created by virtual reality technology to allow learners to conduct quantum mechanics experiments, enabling them to gain knowledge and experience from the operation process. Cognitive load theory was proposed by [PERSON] [26], and he considered that the quality of an instructional design would generally result in significant effects on the cognitive load of a learner. Cognitive load depends on the amount of information that \"working memory\" can hold at one time. Because the capacity of working memory is limited, the instructional design should not use additional activities that are not directly contributive to learning because of overloading. A description of the instructional design principles generated by cognitive load theory can be found in [27], where the experiments providing evidence for the effectiveness of the principles are considered.