Cosmic Chemistry Tic Tac Toe
Evidence of Work:
In this project we were tasked to choose and complete a tic tac board. However in this version of the game each square had a different project you had to do that applied to the principles of cosmic chemistry. In a group of 4 members we split tasks and worked on 3 separate squares. Our group specifically chose to do the mathematical, visual, and writing options. For the mathematical option, we made a Flipgrid tutorial on how to solve chemical equations involving nuclear transmutation. For the visual project, we made an info-graphic piktochart online to demonstrate how nuclear fission in the sun's core releases radiation. And for our writing project we wrote a "letter" to Georges Lemaître, the scientists who came up with the Big Bang Theory with questions about the Big Bang model, and then responded to all the questions in a second letter.
Content Vocabulary:
Subatomic Particles - Particles or clusters of particles that are smaller than an atom.
Isotope - An atom that has the same number of protons as other atoms of the same element do, but has a different number of neutrons.
Fission - When the nucleus splits and a large atom turns into multiple fragments, which also releases additional neutrons and energy.
Fusion - The combination of the nuclei of small atoms to form a larger nucleus,that releases energy while doing so.
Radioactive Decay - The disintegration of an unstable atomic nucleus into one of more different nuclides, accompanied by the emission of radiation, nuclear capture, ejection of electrons or fission.
Half Life - The time required for half of a sample of radioactive substance to disintegrate by radioactive decay.
Nuclear Transformation - The change of one nucleus into another, through radioactive decay.
Radiation - The penetrating rays and particles emitted by a radioactive source.
Nucleosynthesis - The cosmic formation of atoms that are more complex than the hydrogen atom.
Gamma Decay - The loss of radiation in a nuclear reaction.
Beta Decay - The loss of an electron in a nuclear reaction.
Alpha Decay - The loss of a helium particle in a nuclear reaction.
Atomic Mass - The mass of an atom.
Atomic Number - Number of protons in an element, organized within the periodic table.
Charge - Equal to the number of protons minus the number of electrons.
Reflection:
This project went pretty well in my opinion, due to the fact that it was a group project that was done all online. Online school tends to be difficult and it's hard to reach others but my group did very well. Specifically, the Flipgrid was done more independently by our group member, the piktochart was made independently as well but we all did the research together, and the letters were split between me and another group mate. I feel that since this project wasn't in person you can't really apply too many graduate profile skills to it but we did excel in the majority of them. Our collaboration was really good, everyone did what they needed to do and even more, we also all checked in with each other pretty often as well. And another thing we excelled in was Critical Thinking, and although there were guidelines to this project, the reason I say this is because we did get a lot of freedom within it. Writing the letter gave us the opportunity to learn so much about the Big Bang Model in an inventive way and there was creative freedom in the piktochart as well.
As for two project skills that need to be improved upon, especially individually, I'd say again Collaboration but also Conscientious Learning. I did say collaboration was something our group did well, but as for me specifically I felt like I didn't contribute enough to the class zooms for the project, and I didn't have any contact information on any of my group mates. So what I would do differently next time would be to exchange information with my group mates in our next project and stay more on top of splitting work. As for conscientious learning, I didn't do my work on writing the letters until the last day I had to work on it. I waited so long because I was overwhelmed by homework assignments from my other classes, but I plan to stay more on top of my school work in the future. In the end working on this project was really fun and I learned a lot about the Big Band Theory.