Kanpur, Aug. 2 -- Forty-four physics students at the Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur (IIT-K) recently spent half an hour reading a comic book in class. It was not a break from the lesson but the lesson itself.

The experiment grew out of a familiar classroom challenge. According to professor Manoj Kumar Harbola of the department of physics, many students perceive quantum mechanics as one of the most difficult subjects they encounter during their studies. His aim was to change that perception before introducing them to the mathematical rigour the subject is known for.

The idea came to him while listening to a talk on quantum physics.

"I heard someone explaining quantum physics and it struck me that what happens around us every day ...