At the beginning of this year our teacher taught us about atoms and how they are the building blocks of the Universe. We learned about the big bang, which is the theorized beginning of the universe. We learned about how the big bang created basic atoms which began to form into elements then stars and on and on and on up to present day and into the future. We created a three dimensional timeline of the universe that hangs from the ceiling. The whole time we were creating a periodic table, which grew with our knowledge of the chemistry of the universe. At the end of the unit, our class was tasked with creating a model to explain a specific event, in our case, it was a south park style animation explaining radioactive decay.
Concepts
Atom: The smallest particle an element can exist in. The atom is made up of a positively charged Proton and neutral charged neutron which exist in the nucleus which is the center of the atom. Negatively charged electrons circle the atom in superposition. The atom is actually 99.99 percent space.
Isotopic notation: The way of writing out the parts of an atom simply.
Isotope: Atoms of an element that have the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons. This results in the atoms having different masses. The average masses of these isotopes is represented as the mass of the elements on the periodic table. Ion: When atoms of the same element have the same number of protons, but a different number of electrons. This results in the charge being different. If the number of protons and electrons are the same, then the atom is neutral because it has no charge. Radioactive decay: The spontaneous breakdown of an atom's nucleus that results in a release of energy and matter from the nucleus. There are three types, alpha, beta, and gamma. Alpha decay: A types of radioactive decay that results in the release of an alpha particle. An alpha particle is a helium atom that has a mass of 4, an atomic number of 2, and no charge. Beta decay: The type of radioactive decay that results in the release of a beta particle. A beta particle is shown as either an e or a beta symbol with a mass of zero, one negative proton, and no charge. Gamma decay: The type of radioactive decay that results in the release of a y-ray, which is high-energy radiation that releases a particle that is represented by a Y with no mass, no protons, and no charge. Positron emission: A type of decay that results in emitting a positron. This is represented by an e with a mass of zero, one proton, and no charge. Nuclear transmutation: When an unstable atom changes its nucleus by emitting energy and mass which results in a different element. Nucleosynthesis: The creation of atoms that are not hydrogen. Fission: When two elements are created from the splitting of an atom and a release of energy, Fusion: When a new atom is created from the collision of two atoms and their nucleus fusing, A type of decay that results in emitting a positron. This is represented by an e with a mass of zero, one proton, and no charge.
Project description
We decided to make a South Park style animation for our final project. While the other two members of our group did research and helped create the script, a member of the group and I both created a South Park, stop-motion animation in order to explain the processes of radioactive decay.
Reflection
Overall this project was very fun. It taught me new concepts and expanded my knowledge on the world around me. Some peaks were definitely being able to artistically express myself through project based learning and learning about new concepts and being able to put them into a stop motion animation. While there were lots of peaks there were a few pits. First off, our other two group members really didn't help with the video which made it harder to create which leads to the next peak where we could have made a much better video if we had more time and especially more help resources. Overall, however, this was a fun and informative project that really allowed us a lot of freedom.