Discovering Subatomic Particles

Introduction: You are working at the Springfield nuclear power plant. An small scale accident has occurred due to the introduction of donut sprinkles into the inner core. Professor Frink has discovered an unknown material just outside the inner core. He has hired you to help him discover the subatomic properties of this material. Good luck!

Task:
This quest challenges your group to take on the role of Professor Frink's research team. You will present your conclusions to Mr. Burns. Your conclusions will be used to decide if the Springfield reactor is still safe to operate.

- Select a group of four people for your team.

-Your team is to describe the possible subatomic structure and properties of the unknown material.

- Your team will be expected to turn in a written report, including diagrams, that document the results of your investigation.

Process:
- Read team queries.

- Use links below to do research to answer queries.

- Collect text and illustrations from your research.

- Organize your team's information in a written report to include illustrations, diagrams and website bibliography.

Resources:
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory

(CLICK ON PARTICLE PHYSICS OR CLICKABLE TOUR)

Argonne National Laboratory

Stanford

Dave's Microcosmos

Evaluation:
Your team's paper will be evaluated based on the following rubric.

grading rubric

Conclusion:
Congratulations, you have entered the exciting world of particle physics. A world that is rich in history and deep in meaning. In class, we will be covering material dealing with particle physics. We will be learning about how and when scientists discovered the particles that create life and everything around us. Learning this material can help you understand cause and effect relationships in all areas of science including chemistry. There are many unanswered questions when it comes to the existence and the behavior of subatomic particle. You may be the ones to answer these questions.

Authors: (Mark Moody, Robert Moore, Marcus Sipiera)
Created: (October 9th, 1999)

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                                Date: 11/13/2006