Understanding quantum physics: brief introduction for beginners

Quantum physics is one of the greatest scientific and cultural in human history. Much of modern technology and our understanding of physical reality are based on it. Quantum physics represented a real cultural revolution as it involves a behavior of particles that radically contradicts our way of understanding everyday reality and the assumptions on which all the previous physics was founded. Yet, after a century from its foundation, mainly due to the abstract and complex mathematical formalism on which it is based, it remains for the non-professionals and for the high school students something mysterious and bizarre. In this paper we illustrate a didactic approach, which is inspired by recent attempts to reformulate this theory on the basis of elementary physical principles. This approach has the advantage of not using the mathematical formalism of the Hibert spaces and of the Hermitian operators, and of obtaining in an intuitive and reasonable way the fundamental concepts of indeterminacy and entanglement. We hope this approach can contribute to a greater dissemination and understanding of this scientific and cultural heritage.