Module 8

1. Module 8

1.23. Page 4

Lesson 4

Module 8—Nuclear Decay, Energy, and the Standard Model of the Atom

Reflect and Connect

A photo shows the silicon pixel detector attached the Large Hadron Collider. A long tube covered with panels stretches toward a massive piece of the machine, which fills the background of the image.

The silicon pixel detector attached to the LHC.

This pixel detector on the Large Hadron Collider will track the particles emitted by the collision of protons when each proton is travelling at nearly the speed of light in opposite directions. The particle emitted in these high-energy collisions reveals the internal workings of the atom. Powerful technology is required to look deep inside the subatomic world, just as powerful technology is required to look deep into the universe.

The atom is as tiny as the universe is massive, so it is no wonder that vast amounts of energy and technology are required to refine the theories and ideas that describe them both! On these scales, new terminology and ideas can become so complex that it is easy to overlook all of the connections.

Read

CERN: LHC guide.

Read CERN’s booklet of the design, function, and power of the Large Hadron Collider as it relates to everything we know so far about the atom.

All of the ideas, current understanding, and technology required to investigate further are explained in this text. There are some very amazing facts on the LHC machine as well.

Reflect and Connect

Read the following Reflect and Connect questions; then watch the “CERN Development Video,” which goes over the development of CERN over the past 50 years.

Module 8: Lesson 4 Assignment

Remember to submit your answers to RC 1, RC 2, RC 3, and RC 4 to your teacher as part of your Module 8: Lesson 4 Assignment.

RC 1. Name two famous physicists shown in the video and state why they are famous as physicists.

RC 2. What are two physics discoveries that have been made at CERN in the past 50 years?

RC 3. Why is CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) significant for scientists worldwide and what does it show about cooperation in the scientific community?

RC 4. State two ways that the application of the work at CERN has changed life for everyday people.

Module 8: Lesson 4 Assignment

Remember to submit Module 8: Lesson 4 Assignment to your teacher.