1. Module 8

1.2. In this Module

In This Module

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

 

In This Module

 

Lesson 1—The Nucleus and Radioactive Decay

 

In this lesson you will explore the nucleus and the process of decay in technologies such as the ionizing smoke detector.

  • What components make up the nucleus of an atom and what keeps them from coming apart?

  • What are alpha and beta decay?

  • How is the conservation of energy and mass applied to nuclear decay?

Lesson 2—Decay Rates and Radioactive Dating

 

In this lesson you will explore the concepts of half-lives and the rate of decay in relation to dating rocks and organic material.

  • What is a half-life?

  • How are half-lives used to determine age?

Lesson 3—Fission and Fusion

 

In this lesson you will compare and contrast the characteristics of fission and fusion reactions in the context of power generation and research.

  • Why do nuclear reactions release so much energy?

  • What is nuclear fission?

  • What is nuclear fusion?

Lesson 4—The Subatomic World

 

In this lesson you will learn about ongoing developments that inform the standard model for the structure of matter.

  • How is it possible to probe the subatomic world?

  • Which subatomic particles make up the proton and neutron?

  • How do the discovery of antimatter and subatomic particles inform the latest models concerning the structure of matter?