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Task
Task
For our first project this year in Chemistry, we were assigned to apply our knowledge about the structure of the nucleus, the Big Bang Theory, and fission and fusion to a fun project to show what we know about the material. The project was set up in the format of a tic-tac-toe board in which we were to choose 3 categories to represent each academic topic. My group, Charley, Reese, and Melissa, chose the artistic, musical, and history categories.
Cosmic Chemistry Tic-Tac-Toe Project (Oct 8, 2021 at 9:19 AM).MOVCosmic Chemistry Tic-Tac-Toe Project
Cosmic Chemistry Tic-Tac-Toe Project
To start this unit, we first began learning about the basic components of the structure of an atom by taking notes. We learned about its protons, neutrons, and electrons and how ions and isotopes are important compounds of the atomic composition. We also made a presentation regarding the history of the atomic model and how it came to be today by looking at the findings and contributions of many scientists. This was important because it allowed for an extensive explanation of how the atom was discovered, and it deepened our understanding of the importance of an atom. Additionally, we analyzed the Big Bang Theory, along with an article called "The Secret Life of Gold", which was about how the elements ended up on Earth and how they were discovered. In addition, we also looked at the different types of radioactive decay.
After all this preparation of learning about the important concepts, we tested our knowledge of these concepts through the Tic-Tac-Toe Project. Our group-- Reese, Melissa, Charley, and I-- was assigned to choose three different and unique ways to convey what we know about the Big Bang Theory, radioactive decay, and fission and fusion. We decided to divide up the work after choosing our three categories: artistic, musical, and historical. Reese and I were in charge of the musical portion, in which we had to write a song about fission and fusion. We chose to write an informational parody to the song "All About that Bass" by Meghan Trainor and make a music video to it. While we were working on that, Melissa was drawing a cartoon comic about the Big Bang Theory as Charley was writing journal entries about radioactive decay.
The Big Bang Comic
The Big Bang Comic
Periodic Table of Elements
Periodic Table of Elements
Energy: Chemical vs. Nuclear Notes
Energy: Chemical vs. Nuclear Notes
Major Concepts
Major Concepts
radioactive decay - the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation
alpha decay - a type of radioactive decay in which an atomic nucleus emits an alpha particle and reduce the number of protons by an even number in order to change the nucleus
beta decay - a type of radioactive decay in which an atomic nucleus emits a beta particle and changes the original nuclide in order for the unstable atoms to become more stable by changing the ratio of protons and neutrons
gamma decay - a type of radioactive decay in which unstable atomic nuclei dissipate excess energy by exchanging or emitting electrons
After taking notes and doing multiple practice problems about radioactive decay, we incorporated this into our project by making the journal entries about this process.
nuclear fission - a reaction of the splitting of a heavy nucleus into two or more lighter nuclei while releasing large amounts of energy
nuclear fusion - opposite of fission, a process in which lighter nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus; ie two hydrogen atoms form one helium atom, powering the sun and stars
These two concepts were outlined in the song parody that was written by me and Reese. We included brief descriptions of what happens during each process.
Big Bang Theory - the theory stating that the universe was first in a hot, dense state, but then exploded, which created all existing matter
This theory was described in the Comic Strip, written and illustrated by Melissa.
isotopes - atoms that have the same atomic number in the periodic table, but with differing number of neutrons
ion - a particle or atom with a net electrical charge
nuclear transmutation - a process that changes the identity of an atom through nuclear reactions or radioactivity
half-life - the interval of time required for one-half of atomic nuclei to change through the emission of particles and energy
Reflection
Reflection
Throughout the course of this unit, I feel that I learned and retained a lot of important information that helped me contribute my part to our project well. Some areas where I succeeded were in collaboration, character, and communication. I felt like my group and I collaborated well together because we were able to evenly divide up the work and get everything done. This way, we each put our individual creativity into our work, which reflected strong collaboration. This also ties into strong communication because we all communicated our process of what we were doing and our ideas to each other. This allowed us to stay on track when working. Our communication with our teacher was also practiced well because we were constantly asking questions when we were unsure of something. In addition, our strength of character was reflected by our work because we each showed respect in each other's ideas. This created a safe environment to work on our project, and allowed us to work better with each other through an open mind.
Although I was able to succeed in completing my project efficiently, there were also a couple things that I could work on in the future. I felt that I could have been a better conscientious learner. I wasn't very efficient in managing my time because I noticed myself procrastination, which left me doing a majority of the work last minute. This only stressed myself out more because I had to make up for the time that I wasted. Something that I could do to prevent this from happening again would be to try and divide up the work on certain days so I get a little bit done everyday. I also could improve on my critical thinking when working on a project like this. In our song, I felt like we could have added more detail to the concepts that we were outlining. Maybe if I asked myself more questions to deepen my though process, I could have been able to analyze the concepts with a better understanding. In the future, I could look over my notes for a reference so I can incorporate the material into the project with more detail.
Overall, I thought that my group and I as a whole did well on this project. Next time, I will keep in mind what I should improve on and maintain the areas that I succeeded in.
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