For this project, my group and I were asked to create a model of our choosing, that exemplified 1 or 3 learning target aspects of cosmic chemistry. The learning targets we had to choose from were as follows:
o Develop and use a model to explain changes in the composition of the nucleus and energy
released during the processes of fission, fusion and radioactive decay.
o Illustrate the energy transfer mechanisms that allow energy from nuclear fusion in the sun’s
core to reach Earth.
o Communicate scientific ideas about the way stars over their life cycle, produce elements.
We decided to focus on the third target listed involving star life cycle and death. With this is mind we centered our research on this target specifically nuclear fusion in stars, black holes, and supernovas. We decided on this as our area of research and to center our project around, as my group and I unanimously were fascinated by the process in which stars work and what their lives are like. The final product of this project was very open in terms in how we executed it. Some of the possible models we were considering included a computer simulation, online dating profile, song, story, picture, or a music video. In the end we landed on the idea of creating an escape room to present the information of our project. This was extremely fun and exciting to do as it was an out of the box idea and different from what the rest of our classmates were doing.
o Develop and use a model to explain changes in the composition of the nucleus and energy
released during the processes of fission, fusion and radioactive decay.
o Illustrate the energy transfer mechanisms that allow energy from nuclear fusion in the sun’s
core to reach Earth.
o Communicate scientific ideas about the way stars over their life cycle, produce elements.
We decided to focus on the third target listed involving star life cycle and death. With this is mind we centered our research on this target specifically nuclear fusion in stars, black holes, and supernovas. We decided on this as our area of research and to center our project around, as my group and I unanimously were fascinated by the process in which stars work and what their lives are like. The final product of this project was very open in terms in how we executed it. Some of the possible models we were considering included a computer simulation, online dating profile, song, story, picture, or a music video. In the end we landed on the idea of creating an escape room to present the information of our project. This was extremely fun and exciting to do as it was an out of the box idea and different from what the rest of our classmates were doing.
Background
Before starting our final model, we did a lot of background research on stars and the universe. The first background assignment that we did was researching the big bang and how the elements in our universe were formed. Some of the facts that we found included:
Before starting our final model, we did a lot of background research on stars and the universe. The first background assignment that we did was researching the big bang and how the elements in our universe were formed. Some of the facts that we found included:
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As a class we put all of our research together that we accumulated and created a model of The Big Bang. This is a theory that states all matter and essentially our universe was started at a single point in an explosion and as time continues the universe continues to expand with it from that original point. We assigned different groups different parts of the model to complete like the art section or the section about nebulas. We decided that it would be interesting if we had our model hang from the ceiling and start from one corner, like the big bang started in one point, and move out gradually becoming more disorganized similar to how this event occurred. To the right is a picture of our big bang model. This was sort of our fist practice model, as the goal was that our project was going to be our third and final model. Between this big bang and our escape room we individually created our own models of what we knew was happening in cosmic chemistry.
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This image above is a portion of our class made model of The Big Bang that we hung from our classroom ceiling
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This image above is my first model about cosmic chemistry. I wrote down some of the key ideas that I knew about star life cycles and how elements are formed. I drew a picture of some of the components that I knew a star had, as well as the idea that elements are released at the end of a star's life. This was my basic understanding of this content.
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This image above is my second model. This was our last individual model before our final one, which was the escape room for my group. In this I decided to build off my drawing of a star in my first model. I added more details in this model like showing where gravity was
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The Escape Room
The way we made our escape room was through a series of puzzles/clues that our class had to all solve in order to get another clue which would lead them to the finish. There were six groups and that meant we would have six clues, one for each group.
Since we were focusing on the lifecycle of stars we wanted to have the clues relate to this topic. In the end we decided that they would have to deal with red giants, white dwarfs, supernova, black hole, hydrogen atom, and protons. Each group received a clue in an enclosed envelope that had one of these concepts as the answer, and when the team figured out the clue they got another piece of paper with a letter on it. This brings us into the next and final puzzle, where after solving the clues the groups had to work together and unscramble a mystery word from letters we gave them after they told us the correct answer to the clue. These letters spelled out N E B U L A, and after unscrambling the word the teams won or "escaped". (All of the terms used in this brief overview of our model, are defined and explained in the content section). Below you will find the clues that we used in our escape room:
Since we were focusing on the lifecycle of stars we wanted to have the clues relate to this topic. In the end we decided that they would have to deal with red giants, white dwarfs, supernova, black hole, hydrogen atom, and protons. Each group received a clue in an enclosed envelope that had one of these concepts as the answer, and when the team figured out the clue they got another piece of paper with a letter on it. This brings us into the next and final puzzle, where after solving the clues the groups had to work together and unscramble a mystery word from letters we gave them after they told us the correct answer to the clue. These letters spelled out N E B U L A, and after unscrambling the word the teams won or "escaped". (All of the terms used in this brief overview of our model, are defined and explained in the content section). Below you will find the clues that we used in our escape room:
- N - red giant
- The color is rich, the size is fleeting, search for this star that looks like James Wreden
- E - white dwarf
- The end of a journey, the end of the star, at the end of the caddy the answer isn't far
- B - supernova
- Why (bmd, k=5)
- U - black hole
- On the internet may be hidden some clues, check my website and click on the “Cruz”
- L - hydrogen atom
- 5x -1 = 2^2
- A - Protons
- QR Code: +
How we presented this project was by doing the escape room with our classmates. To start it off, we had a quick presentation that went over the basics of star life cycles and the information that people would need to solve the clues or understand the information we were trying to convey with this model. Additionally, while it may seem out there, we had logic behind how this escape room was still a model for all the necessary information in our learning target. Our clues covered information in the section, but as far as the escape room we were showing all of the different parts that are a star's life. This was done through having multiple clues, they were there to show the different parts, and the end word was scrambled to represent the nebula and how it is a mix of many different things and particles and matter. Also the escape room and clues are like a cycle in a way, and we were focusing on star life cycles, so the two seemed to go together well. Below is the presentation we gave in the beginning to our class.
At the end of this presentation is a video that one of my group members edited together that leads the class into the escape room. This video can be found at the end of the presentation above. In sum, the video starts out as a crash course, and is edited to slow down and then cut out to static and give the instructions for the escape room. This was really fun to put together and show to the class, as a lot of people were surprised and were not expecting it. After showing the video the whole class was given the clues, which can be found above the presentation, and given 10 minutes to solve the whole puzzle and "escape". Our class was able to finish with about 2 minutes to spare! Additionally, while it may seem out there, we had logic behind how this escape room was still a model for all the necessary information in our learning target. Our clues covered information in the section, but as far as the escape room we were showing all of the different parts that are a star's life. This was done through having multiple clues, they were there to show the different parts, and the end word was scrambled to represent the nebula and how it is a mix of many different things and particles and matter. Also the escape room and clues are like a cycle in a way, and we were focusing on star life cycles, so the two seemed to go together well.
To Better Understand
The starting phase for all stars, including our Sun, begins when a dense region in a nebula begins to shrink and warm up. This is usually the result of one of several events that may occur to initiate the gravitational collapse of a molecular cloud. The means by which this occurs include galactic collisions or a devastating nearby supernova explosion sending ruptured matter into the clouds at very high speeds. Each of these stellar maternity wards can form anything from a few dozen to thousands of stars. Fueled by nuclear reaction, eventually elements fueling the nuclear reaction run out causing star to die.
The starting phase for all stars, including our Sun, begins when a dense region in a nebula begins to shrink and warm up. This is usually the result of one of several events that may occur to initiate the gravitational collapse of a molecular cloud. The means by which this occurs include galactic collisions or a devastating nearby supernova explosion sending ruptured matter into the clouds at very high speeds. Each of these stellar maternity wards can form anything from a few dozen to thousands of stars. Fueled by nuclear reaction, eventually elements fueling the nuclear reaction run out causing star to die.
Small Stars
Stars are born in an area of high density called a nebula which then condenses into a huge bubble of gas and dust formed by gravity. A region of condensing matter will begin to heat up and start to glow forming Prostars. If a protostar contains enough matter the central temperature reaches 15 million degrees centigrade. At this temperature, nuclear reactions in which hydrogen fuses to form helium can start. The star begins to release energy, stopping it from contracting even more and causes it to shine. It is now a Main Sequence Star. A star of one solar mass remains in the main sequence for about 10 billion years, until all of the hydrogen has fused to form helium. The core is hot enough for the helium to fuse to form carbon. The outer layers begin to expand, cool and shine less brightly. The expanding star is now called a Red Giant. The helium core runs out, and the outer layers drift of away from the core as a gaseous shell, this gas that surrounds the core is called a Planetary Nebula. The remaining core (that's 80% of the original star) is now in its final stages. The core becomes a White Dwarf the star eventually cools and dims. When it stops shining, the now dead star is called a Black Dwarf.
Massive Stars
Massive stars evolve in a similar way to a small stars until it reaches its main sequence stage (see small stars, stages 1-4). The stars shine steadily until the hydrogen has fused to form helium ( it takes billions of years in a small star, but only millions in a massive star). The massive star then becomes a Red Supergiant and starts of with a helium core surrounded by a shell of cooling, expanding gas. In the next million years a series of nuclear reactions occur forming different elements in shells around the iron core. The core collapses in less than a second, causing an explosion called a Supernova, in which a shock wave blows of the outer layers of the star. (The actual supernova shines brighter than the entire galaxy for a short time). Sometimes the core survives the explosion. If the surviving core is between 1.5 - 3 solar masses it contracts to become a a tiny, very dense Neutron Star. If the core is much greater than 3 solar masses, the core contracts to become a Black Hole.
Stars are born in an area of high density called a nebula which then condenses into a huge bubble of gas and dust formed by gravity. A region of condensing matter will begin to heat up and start to glow forming Prostars. If a protostar contains enough matter the central temperature reaches 15 million degrees centigrade. At this temperature, nuclear reactions in which hydrogen fuses to form helium can start. The star begins to release energy, stopping it from contracting even more and causes it to shine. It is now a Main Sequence Star. A star of one solar mass remains in the main sequence for about 10 billion years, until all of the hydrogen has fused to form helium. The core is hot enough for the helium to fuse to form carbon. The outer layers begin to expand, cool and shine less brightly. The expanding star is now called a Red Giant. The helium core runs out, and the outer layers drift of away from the core as a gaseous shell, this gas that surrounds the core is called a Planetary Nebula. The remaining core (that's 80% of the original star) is now in its final stages. The core becomes a White Dwarf the star eventually cools and dims. When it stops shining, the now dead star is called a Black Dwarf.
Massive Stars
Massive stars evolve in a similar way to a small stars until it reaches its main sequence stage (see small stars, stages 1-4). The stars shine steadily until the hydrogen has fused to form helium ( it takes billions of years in a small star, but only millions in a massive star). The massive star then becomes a Red Supergiant and starts of with a helium core surrounded by a shell of cooling, expanding gas. In the next million years a series of nuclear reactions occur forming different elements in shells around the iron core. The core collapses in less than a second, causing an explosion called a Supernova, in which a shock wave blows of the outer layers of the star. (The actual supernova shines brighter than the entire galaxy for a short time). Sometimes the core survives the explosion. If the surviving core is between 1.5 - 3 solar masses it contracts to become a a tiny, very dense Neutron Star. If the core is much greater than 3 solar masses, the core contracts to become a Black Hole.
Above is a basic star life cycle and shows the different stages
Law of Conservation of Mass: Matter is not created nor destroyed in any chemical or physical change
Law of definite proportions: a chemical compound contains the same elements in exactly the same proportions by mass regardless of the size of the sample or source of the compound
Law of Multiple Proportions: if two or more different compounds are composed of the same two elements, then the ratio of the masses of the second element combined with a certain mass of the first element is always a ratio of small whole numbers
John Dalton's Atomic Theory
1) all matter is composed of atoms
2) all atoms of the same atom are identical
3) when compounds from, atoms combine in simple whole number ratios by mass(LODP)
4) atoms are either rearranged, combined or put together
5) atoms cannot be divided, created or destroyed
Joseph John Thomson: discovered the electron, "pudding" version of atom
Robert Millikan: used the oil-drop apparatus to determine the charge of an electron
Ernest Rutherford: Conducted the famous Gold foil experiment, discovered the nucleus of atoms
These terms and names above were important to our project, as they all had to do with knowledge and discovery of atoms and other important particles involved with star life and death. The laws relate to our project, as star life cycle and star deaths must apply to these rules and they explain why some reactions occur or inversely do not.
Law of definite proportions: a chemical compound contains the same elements in exactly the same proportions by mass regardless of the size of the sample or source of the compound
Law of Multiple Proportions: if two or more different compounds are composed of the same two elements, then the ratio of the masses of the second element combined with a certain mass of the first element is always a ratio of small whole numbers
John Dalton's Atomic Theory
1) all matter is composed of atoms
2) all atoms of the same atom are identical
3) when compounds from, atoms combine in simple whole number ratios by mass(LODP)
4) atoms are either rearranged, combined or put together
5) atoms cannot be divided, created or destroyed
Joseph John Thomson: discovered the electron, "pudding" version of atom
Robert Millikan: used the oil-drop apparatus to determine the charge of an electron
Ernest Rutherford: Conducted the famous Gold foil experiment, discovered the nucleus of atoms
These terms and names above were important to our project, as they all had to do with knowledge and discovery of atoms and other important particles involved with star life and death. The laws relate to our project, as star life cycle and star deaths must apply to these rules and they explain why some reactions occur or inversely do not.
Above is an chart if subatomic particle characteristics
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Subatomic Particles: a particle that is smaller than an atom
Fission: the splitting of an atomic nucleus to release energy Fusion: creation of energy by joining the nuclei of two hydrogen atoms to form helium Radioactive Decay: the spontaneous breakdown of an atomic nucleus resulting in the release of energy and matter from the nucleus Alpha Decay: radioactive decay by emission of an alpha particle- He-4 (two protons and two neutrons)atomic number |
Half-Life: length of time required for half of the radioactive atoms in a sample to decay. This relates to our project as stars have different half lifes which allow them to decay at fast or slower paced rates.
Nuclear Transmutation: can be induced by accelerating a particle to collide it with the nuclide
Radiation: the emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or as moving subatomic particles, especially high-energy particles which cause ionization
Nucleosynthesis: the process that creates new atomic nuclei from pre-existing nucleons, primarily protons and neutrons (atoms slam together to form reactions)
Alpha Particle: a helium nucleus emitted by some radioactive substances, originally regarded as a ray
Beta Particle: a fast-moving electron emitted by radioactive decay of substances
Gamma Emission: when an excited nucleus gives off a ray in the gamma part of the spectrum; has no mass and no charge
Positron Emission: a radioactive decay process that involves the emission of a positron, a particle that has the same mass as but opposite charge to an electron
Nuclear Transmutation: can be induced by accelerating a particle to collide it with the nuclide
Radiation: the emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or as moving subatomic particles, especially high-energy particles which cause ionization
Nucleosynthesis: the process that creates new atomic nuclei from pre-existing nucleons, primarily protons and neutrons (atoms slam together to form reactions)
Alpha Particle: a helium nucleus emitted by some radioactive substances, originally regarded as a ray
Beta Particle: a fast-moving electron emitted by radioactive decay of substances
Gamma Emission: when an excited nucleus gives off a ray in the gamma part of the spectrum; has no mass and no charge
Positron Emission: a radioactive decay process that involves the emission of a positron, a particle that has the same mass as but opposite charge to an electron
Electron Capture: an inner orbital electron is captured by the nucleus of its own atom
Photon: a particle of electromagnetic radiation with no mass that carries a quantum of energy Excited State: a state in which an atom has a higher potential energy than it has in its ground state Ground State: the lowest energy state of an atom Ion: an atom or group of atoms that has a positive or negative charge- changed number of electrons Isotope: atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons Supernova: when the outward forces of pressure win out over the inward force of gravity causing a massive luminous explosion. This related to our project as this is one of the ways that stars lives end. Black Hole: when the inward force of gravity wins out over the outward pressure, inversely from a supernova a black hole collapses and doesn't allow anything (light, particles...) to escape from it. This related to our project as this is one of the ways that stars lives end. |
Above is the first over photo of a black hole.
Above is an image of what a supernova looks like.
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All of these terms relate to our project as they were all concepts that we needed to understand and be familiar with to complete the project and comprehend what happens in a star life cycle. Some are more specific relations than others, but nonetheless all were extremely important for grasping the basics of cosmic chemistry and its multiple parts, concepts, and theories.
Reflection
Two things that I did well in this project were creative thinking and time management. The first skill that I used well in this project was creative thinking. A specific example of this is when my group and I were deciding on our projects. We knew that we wanted to have an out there model and for it to be really different from the rest of our classmates models. We listed out so many different ideas and we ended up choosing the escape room, but I thought that this was a good example of creativity and thinking outside the box. The second skill that I utilized in this project was time management. A specific example of when this skill was noticeably used was at the end of our project. I realized on our last work day, that my group and I had very little to do and we finished really early. This is because, we were able to manage out time and stay ahead of the target due date. It was a huge relief that we were not rushing to finish this project, because it would be stressful but also because we would probably not be putting out our best model or version of the project.
Two skills I need to work on for the next project are communication and collaboration. The first skill that I still need to work on in future projects is communication. A specific example of when i knew that i still needed to work on my communication was the day we presented our project. I got to class and one of my teammates told me that he had lost the balls we were going to use to write the letters for the world nebula on. We were able to figure out this situation and use paper instead of the balls, but this instance was when I realized that we had not talked about a lot of logistics and communicated about what to do with the balls. In the future I will make sure that my group and I communicate and talk things out, especially logistical issues before we get to the point where we cannot solve the problem. The second skill that I still need to work on is collaboration. A specific example when my lack of action in this skill was an issue, was at the beginning of our first work day. As we were calling out ideas as a group to each other, I could see that we all had very different ideas of where this project should go. While they were all valid project ideas, they were centered around our different ares of interest. In the end the escape room seemed to tailor to most of these ideas or incorporate them in a way, but this realization came after several arguments about what we were going to present. In the future I will be more open with delving into areas that are out of my comfort zone and trusting my team that the will help me and we can work together.
All in all, this was a really fun project to work on! I was able to learn more about our universe and how it came to be, how elements were formed, and about stars life cycles. I enjoyed learning more about the origins of these concepts and also working on developing my understanding through an innovative model construction.
Two things that I did well in this project were creative thinking and time management. The first skill that I used well in this project was creative thinking. A specific example of this is when my group and I were deciding on our projects. We knew that we wanted to have an out there model and for it to be really different from the rest of our classmates models. We listed out so many different ideas and we ended up choosing the escape room, but I thought that this was a good example of creativity and thinking outside the box. The second skill that I utilized in this project was time management. A specific example of when this skill was noticeably used was at the end of our project. I realized on our last work day, that my group and I had very little to do and we finished really early. This is because, we were able to manage out time and stay ahead of the target due date. It was a huge relief that we were not rushing to finish this project, because it would be stressful but also because we would probably not be putting out our best model or version of the project.
Two skills I need to work on for the next project are communication and collaboration. The first skill that I still need to work on in future projects is communication. A specific example of when i knew that i still needed to work on my communication was the day we presented our project. I got to class and one of my teammates told me that he had lost the balls we were going to use to write the letters for the world nebula on. We were able to figure out this situation and use paper instead of the balls, but this instance was when I realized that we had not talked about a lot of logistics and communicated about what to do with the balls. In the future I will make sure that my group and I communicate and talk things out, especially logistical issues before we get to the point where we cannot solve the problem. The second skill that I still need to work on is collaboration. A specific example when my lack of action in this skill was an issue, was at the beginning of our first work day. As we were calling out ideas as a group to each other, I could see that we all had very different ideas of where this project should go. While they were all valid project ideas, they were centered around our different ares of interest. In the end the escape room seemed to tailor to most of these ideas or incorporate them in a way, but this realization came after several arguments about what we were going to present. In the future I will be more open with delving into areas that are out of my comfort zone and trusting my team that the will help me and we can work together.
All in all, this was a really fun project to work on! I was able to learn more about our universe and how it came to be, how elements were formed, and about stars life cycles. I enjoyed learning more about the origins of these concepts and also working on developing my understanding through an innovative model construction.