STEM project design: blending quantum and computational physics with Tic-Tac-Toe

Abstract Quantum physics remains a conceptual hurdle in physics education due to the non-intuitive nature of superposition, entanglement and wavefunction collapse. The Quantum Tic-Tac-Toe is a rule-based game specifically designed to visualise these concepts. While the game is proposed, some numerical and algorithmic subtleties about implementation of this quantum game remain unaddressed and there are no explicit results to validate the code and the strategy. This article serves as a resource for physics educators looking to integrate quantum concepts into the capstone projects with reference material to the numerical results. To support project mentorship, we also provide a 10 week project mentoring schedule and highlight specific technical challenges encountered during implementation. We present numerical benchmarks and reference code for instructors to cross-check students’ results. This project offers a new approach for early physics learners to turn abstract concepts from quantum physics and statistical physics into a hands-on game design. These skills could lay the students’ foundation towards quantum information science.