International Year of Quantum Science and Technology
IPFN is celebrating the 2025 International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ), which marks 100 years since the initial development of quantum mechanics, with a range of outreach activities aimed at schools across the country. One of the highlights is God Plays Dice!, a board game created to help younger audiences to understand key ideas in quantum physics through play.
Inspired by a famous quote in a letter from Albert Einstein – 'God does not play dice with the Universe' – the game’s title contrasts Einstein’s determinism with the inherently probabilistic nature of quantum phenomena. This randomness is central to both physics and the gameplay: by rolling dice, players simulate the behaviour of photons, the particles of light, as they attempt to pass through a sequence of polarisers – devices that only allow photons through under certain conditions. The rules mirror quantum mechanics, and the outcome of each interaction is uncertain, but patterns emerge statistically over time.
God Plays Dice! was unveiled during Técnico’s 2025 Open Day and developed by researchers at Técnico, including members of the IPFN. The game was facilitated on-site by PhD students, who guided participants through the gameplay and its connection to real quantum effects.
Each player controls a set of photon pawns travelling through polariser tracks, rolling dice to determine whether each photon is transmitted or absorbed. While the game is played in turns, it is fundamentally collaborative — the more participants involved, the better the collective statistics, mimicking the way quantum predictions emerge from repeated experiments.
“If we’re going to see technological revolutions this century, they’ll be quantum,” says Horácio Fernandes, Técnico professor and IPFN researcher.
Earlier this week, on Monday 14 April, IPFN also took part in a conference on quantum science held at Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, where Técnico PhD students presented ongoing research in the field. After playing the game, participants are encouraged to explore the same quantum principles in a real remote-controlled experiment via Técnico e-lab platform. This experiment simulates photon transmission through multiple polarisers and allows users to compare their game results with actual laboratory data.
More information about the experiment and the underlying physics is available on the project’s wiki page here.
