Gizmo #1: Student Exploration: Nuclear Decay

Gizmo #1:Student Exploration: Nuclear Decay Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and prompts in the orange boxes.Vocabulary:alpha particle, atomic number, beta particle,daughter product, gamma ray, isotope, mass number, nuclear decay, positron, radioactive, subatomic particle Prior Knowledge Questions(Do these BEFORE using theGizmo.) The chart below gives the locations, charges, and approximate masses of threesubatomic particles. The approximate mass of each particle is given in universal mass units (u).Particle Location ChargeApproximate mass Proton Nucleus 1 +

• u

Neutron Nucleus 0 1 u Electron Orbitals 1 –

• u

1.Themass numberof an atom is equal to the sum ofprotons and neutrons in the nucleus.A helium atom has 2 protons and 2 neutrons. What is the mass number of this atom?4 2.Theatomic numberof an element is equal to the numberof protons in each atom of the element. All helium atoms have 2 protons. What is the atomic number of helium?2 Gizmo Warm-up While most atoms are stable, some areradioactive,which means that they have a tendency to undergo spontaneousnucleardecay. The decay of radioactive atoms generally results in the emission of particles and/or energy.Several types of nuclear decay can be explored with theNuclear Decay Gizmo. On the Gizmo, check thatAlpha decayandUraniumare selected.

1.ClickPlay(), and then clickPause() when thealpha particleis clearly visible. What is an alpha particle made of?Protons and neutrons 2.ClickPlayand observe. Besides the alpha particle,what else is emitted from the nucleus during alpha decay? Gamma Gamma raysare energetic electromagnetic waves; theyare often emitted in nuclear decay.Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved This study source was downloaded by 100000827141222 from CourseHero.com on 06-18-2022 06:32:26 GMT -05:00 https://www.coursehero.com/file/131877653/Matthew-Gonzalez-41-Nuclear-Reactions-Gizmopdf/

Activity A:

Alpha decay

Get the Gizmo ready:

●ClickReset().●Check thatAlpha decayandUraniumare selected.

Question: How does alpha decay change the nucleus of a radioactive atom?

1.Predict: As you observed in the warm-up activity,an alpha particle consists of two protons and two neutrons. How will the emission of an alpha particle affect the following?

A.The atomic number of the atom:It will decline by two and become thorium

B.The mass number of the atom:It will decline by two

2.Calculate: Turn onWrite equation. What you see isan equation that shows the original uranium atom on the left. The boxes on the right represent thedaughterproduct—the atom produced by radioactive decay—and the emitted alpha particle.A.In the top left box, write the mass number of the daughter product and press “Enter”on your keyboard. What is this number?4 B.In the bottom left box, write the atomic number of the daughter product and press “Enter.” What is this number?2 C.✏️ Click on the picture below , select ✏️ edit. Enter the mass number and atomic number of the alpha particle, which has the same composition as the nucleus of a helium (He) atom. After filling in

the boxes in the Gizmo, write the completed equation below:

D.According to your equation, whatisotoperemains afterthe alpha decay of

uranium-238? (Note: You can look up element symbols on the periodic table.)

Thorium 3.Check: Turn onShow equation, and clickPlay. Theequation will appear at the end of the animation. Was your prediction correct?Yes If not, modify your equation above.Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved This study source was downloaded by 100000827141222 from CourseHero.com on 06-18-2022 06:32:26 GMT -05:00 https://www.coursehero.com/file/131877653/Matthew-Gonzalez-41-Nuclear-Reactions-Gizmopdf/

4.Practice: ClickReset, turn offShow equation, andselectPolonium. ✏️Write an equation for the alpha decay of polonium, and then use the Gizmo to check your answer.What isotope remains after the alpha decay of polonium-212?Lead 5.Practice: ClickReset, turn offShow equation, andselectRadium. ✏️Write an equation for the alpha decay of radium, and then use the Gizmo to check your answer.What dangerous gas is produced by the decay of radium-226?Radon 6.Practice: Americium-241 is a radioactive isotope usedin smoke detectors. ✏️Write an equation for the alpha decay of Americium-241 below.

7.Analyze: In each equation, how is the mass numberon the left side of the arrow related to the sum of mass numbers on the right side of the arrow? Is this true for atomic numbers?The mass on the right is made up of the mass on the left same applies for atomic numbers 8.Summarize: In general, how can you determine the massnumber of the daughter product after alpha decay has taken place? How can you determine the atomic number?For mass you simply remove 4 and for atomic number simply remove 2 9.Think and discuss: Helium is the second most abundantelement in the universe, but it is rare in Earth’s atmosphere. Most of the helium used to fill balloons and blimps must be extracted from Earth’s crust. How do you think this helium formed?Accidental coincidental formation Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved This study source was downloaded by 100000827141222 from CourseHero.com on 06-18-2022 06:32:26 GMT -05:00 https://www.coursehero.com/file/131877653/Matthew-Gonzalez-41-Nuclear-Reactions-Gizmopdf/

Gizmo #2:Student Exploration: Nuclear Reactions Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and prompts in the orange boxes.[Note to teachers and students: This Gizmo was designed as a follow-up to theNuclear DecayGizmo. We recommend doing that activity before trying this one.] Vocabulary:chain reaction, CNO cycle, catalyst, deuterium,electron volt, fission, fusion, isotope, nuclear reaction, positron, positron emission, proton-proton chain Prior Knowledge Questions(Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.) The chart to the right gives theisotopename, elementname, number of protons, and number of neutrons of three isotopes.

1.What do you notice about the isotope number and the sum of protons and neutrons?They seem off, uranium has more neutrons than protons 2.The element symbol for uranium-238 is . This meansU-238 has a total mass of 238 and contains 92

protons. ✏️ Write the element symbols for the isotopes in the table:

Gizmo Warm-up TheNuclear ReactionsGizmo simulates a particle accelerator.Particle accelerators speed up atoms to very high velocities, then crash the atoms together with enough energy to cause changes callednuclear reactions.There are three particle beams available in this Gizmo, protons, neutrons, and helium-3 nuclei.

1.ClickFire Protonto engage the first particle beam.What happens?It released a positron 2.Colliding particles don’t always react. ClickReset,and then clickFire neutron.A.Does a reaction occur?No

B.Explain: It just passes on by

Activity B:

Proton-proton chain

Get the Gizmo ready:

●ClickReset.●Be sureProton-protonis selected in the Reactionmenu.Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved This study source was downloaded by 100000827141222 from CourseHero.com on 06-18-2022 06:32:26 GMT -05:00 https://www.coursehero.com/file/131877653/Matthew-Gonzalez-41-Nuclear-Reactions-Gizmopdf/