Cosmic Chemistry
Project Description: For this project my group and I were given the task of choosing a topic that our class had been learning about during the year. We were also given the freedom to represent this information in whatever format we wished to. Our group tackled the concepts of nuclear fission, fusion, and radioactive decay. We chose to use a slideshow to present this information as well as construct 3D models of examples of all three concepts.
Concepts:
- Nuclear Fission: the process in which a large unstable element is split in two, typically by a neutron, resulting in a large release of energy and leading to a chain reaction
- Chain Reaction: when an atom is split, releasing neutrons, leading to further divisions of atoms
- Nuclear Fusion: when two light atoms collide, creating a single element and releasing a large amount of energy
- Radioactive Decay: when an unstable atoms releases energy and particles in order to stay together
- Alpha Decay: when an atom loses an alpha particle ( he-4 nucleus)
- Beta Decay: when an atom loses a beta particle (electron)
- Gamma Emission: loss of y ray ( high energy radiation)
- Positron Emission: loss of positron ( particle similar to electron but with positive charge)
- Radiation: energy emitted by unstable elements, which can cause damage to living things depending on type and dosage
- Half Life: amount of time it takes for an unstable nuclei to lose half of its mass