AP/Calculus-Based Physics: Particles and Interactions and the Standard Model Units
The Standard Model summarizes the current knowledge in Particle Physics. It is the quantum theory that includes the theory of strong interactions (quantum chromodynamics or QCD) and the unified theory of weak and electromagnetic interactions (electroweak). Gravity is included on this chart because it is one of the fundamental interactions even though not part of the "Standard Model."
Matter and Interactions (16)
Lesson Plans:
This lesson plan with student guide was created by a high school teacher to accompany the PhET simulation States of Matter. It's intended for students who already have some knowledge of basic kinetic molecular theory. It provides guided exploration of particle behavior as it relates to phase, molecular polarity, force interactions at the molecular level.
Level: Grades 11-12
Duration: One Class Period
This lesson was created specifically to accompany the PhET simulation Nuclear Fission, giving guided direction to ensure students stay focused on learning goals. By using this printed guide, students will be prompted to think about what happens in a nuclear reaction, what makes a nucleus "fissionable" and how nuclear power containment vessels prevent a runaway chain reaction. We recommend introducing this simulation after first exploring a related PhET simulation, "Isotopes and Atomic Mass". Beginning learners need a foundation to understand factors that affect stability of an atomic nucleus.
Level: Grades 8-12
Duration: 1-2 Class Periods
Activities:
This is a collection of field-tested activities designed to integrate high school biology, chemistry, and physics. Each lesson provides guided explorations through simulations and models, featuring 4 themes: motion and energy, charge, atoms/molecules, and light. The overarching concept that connects all four is that atoms and molecules are the fundamental basis for all interactions.
Level: Grades 9-12
Drag protons, neutrons, and electrons to construct your own atom! As particles are moved into the nucleus or the electron orbits, the simulation automatically displays mass number, atomic symbol, name of element, and net charge. After practicing, try your skill against the clock in a game with four levels of difficulty.
Level: Grades 6-12
A scaffolded activity for students to explore atom-building within the framework of a newer orbital model. It opens with an explanation of why the Bohr model is incorrect and provides an analogy for understanding orbitals that is simple enough for grades 8-9. As the activity progresses, students build atoms and ions by adding or removing protons, electrons, and neutrons. Don't miss the "Add An Electron" page to see how electrons align from lower-to-higher energy.
Level: Grades 8-12
What causes molecules to attract each other? In this activity, students manipulate models to see how the strength of attraction is affected by distance from one molecule to another, by heating the substance, and by mixing polar and non-polar substances. Part II of the activity is devoted to hydrogen bonds. Middle school teachers may wish to confine the activity to Parts 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7.
Level: Grades 8-12
This simulation can help students visualize how molecules behave in solids, liquids, and gases. Add or remove heat and watch the motion of the molecules as they change phase. Push the pump and change the volume of matter in the closed container. More advanced students can compare the potential energy graphs for neon, argon, oxygen, and water (which all have different interaction potential).
Level: Grades 6-12
This classroom-tested module features 8 interactive models for exploring atomic arrangements in gases, solids, and liquids. Highlight an atom and view its trajectory to see how motion differs in each of the 3 primary phases. Add heat energy to a system to watch molecular bonds break as molecules overcome their attraction. Editor's Note: This model is a very effective tool for visualizing the intermolecular attractions that underlie a phase change. Highly recommended.
Level: Grades 8-12
Students will interact with six models to investigate what a gas, liquid, and solid look like at the atomic level. View a gas or liquid made of atoms only, a gas composed of diatomic molecules, a liquid made of triatomic molecules, or two types of solids.
Level: Grades 8-12
Fire a virtual neutron gun and induce fission in a radioactive Uranium 235 nucleus. Watch the nucleus split into two daughter nuclei, then start a chain reaction by using multiple U-235 nuclei.....or prevent one by introducing non-radioactive isotopes. Switch the tab to "Nuclear Reactor" and adjust control rods to manage the reaction. Yep, it's fun. And also educational! Editor's Note: We highly recommend the PhET Student Guide that accompanies this simulation to keep your students focused on learning goals. Find it under Lesson Plans above.
Level: Grades 8-12
References and Collections:
Here you will find a collection of 15 animation-based tutorials that support topics covered in introductory chemistry and physical science. The tutorials are highly engaging, yet not so directive that they inhibit critical thinking. All activities are appropriate for high school physics or chemistry; about half are easily adapted to the middle school or 9th grade physical science classroom.
Level: Grades 8-12
This is the portal for The Concord Consortium, a nonprofit research and development corporation dedicated to transforming education through technology. Hundreds of interactive resources are available, many of which focus on the molecular basis of common phenomena. Resources include publications on the use of modeling, online learning and assessment, and the impact of mobile computing.
Level: Grades 6-12
A website sponsored by the Chemical Education Digital Library, ChemTeacher offers a unified package of lessons and activities suitable for secondary chemistry and physical science. Materials are organized by topic. Each activity features an interactive task, worksheets/assessments, and extensive background information.
Level: Grades 8-12
Content Support For Teachers:
The LAPTAG plasma laboratory, funded in part by the DOE, is a high-school based project designed to make the study of plasma physics more accessible to secondary students. Click on the first link for the complete, cost-free lab manual. The next link provides detailed lecture notes explaining the processes that occur when charged particles become a plasma.
This collection was developed with the new or crossover teacher in mind. It combines background information, animations, and video to support secondary physical science curriculum. Topics include atoms & molecules, chemical reactions, acids & bases, gases, solutions, nuclear chemistry, quantum theory, and more.
Student Tutorials:
This is a well-designed set of tutorials to give students a good general overview of nuclear science, from nuclear structure to radioactivity and half-life. Check out the activity on how to build a cosmic ray detector, complete with detailed lab manual.
Level: Grades 9-12
The Standard Model (11)
Lesson Plans:
A comprehensive set of resources for teaching a unit on antimatter. The module incorporates liberal use of analogy to help students find a context for understanding this topic. You'll find 8 lessons in the format of Power Point presentations that blend humor with zany analogies. Background information has themes such as, "Will You Be Charging That?", to help kids understand the electric charge theory of antimatter.
Level: High School Physics
At laboratories around the world, physicists convert energy into mass almost as commonly as students send text messages. Still, this revolutionary process is often ignored in the classroom because it seems difficult to convey in a hands-on way. This teaching unit, created by teachers with support from leading physicists, provides the means to bring these concepts of special relativity to high school classrooms.
Level: 11-12
Want to give your students hands-on experiences in modern physics topics? Here is a set of 6 investigations that use data analysis as the framework for the study. Investigations appropriate for high school include: Searching for the Top Quark Mass, Special Relativity, Cosmic Ray e-Lab, and Search for Higgs. Investigations for both middle school and high school include: Sloan Sky Server Projects and Simply Prairie. All data is freely accessible, with explicit instructions provided. Package includes student activity pages & an online homepage for learners.
Level: Grades 6-12
Activities:
In terms of matter, what is a fundamental particle? This award-winning website aimed at high school students introduces the theory of fundamental particles and forces, called the Standard Model. It includes a tutorial on accelerators and particle detectors and also explores recent experimental evidence that promises to extend the theory even further.
Level: Grades 9-12
Drag protons, neutrons, and electrons to construct your own atom! As particles are moved into the nucleus or the electron orbits, the simulation automatically displays mass number, atomic symbol, name of element, and net charge. After practicing, try your skill against the clock in a game with four levels of difficulty.
Level: Grades 6-12
A scaffolded activity for students to explore atom-building within the framework of the Standard Model. It opens with an explanation of why the Bohr model is incorrect and provides an analogy for understanding orbitals that is simple enough for grades 8-9. As the activity progresses, students build atoms and ions by adding or removing protons, electrons, and neutrons. Don't miss the "Add An Electron" page to see how electrons align from lower-to-higher energy.
Level: Grades 8-12
Modeling phenomena at the atomic level gives students a firmer understanding of why atoms form bonds in predictable ways: by transferring or sharing electrons. This interactive model presents the Standard Model of an atom -- a nucleus consisting of protons & neutrons, with electrons surrounding it in regions of high probability called orbitals. Kids will have fun as they explore electron configuration.
Level: Grades 9-12
Duration: One Class Period
References and Collections:
Fermilab is a national science laboratory and the home of the Tevatron, the world's second-largest particle accelerator. Through this portal, users can learn about Fermilab's experiments, research, projects, and publications. The lab also sponsors an extensive set of web-based resources for K-12 educators. Editor's Note: The Tevatron accelerator was shut down in 2011 due to funding shortages. The website is still up and accessible.
Level: Grades 6-12
Content Support For Teachers:
This is a very high-quality free course on topics in modern physics, developed by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center. Its goal is to get teachers and learners excited about important unanswered questions that are being investigated right now in contemporary physics. The course has 3 components: Textbook, video clips, and web-based modules. Teachers can use the course for their own development or supplement high school physics classes with the interactive modules and videos.
This textbook was developed by an author who believes "physics is the science with the worst textbooks". He intends Motion Mountain to be a simple, captivating, and up-to-date introduction to modern physics. The concept of motion is the guiding framework for this textbook, with speed, force, and charge being central to the presentation. The book was written for self-study.
Student Tutorials:
This tutorial collection was designed to help high school students build an understanding of matter at its most fundamental: subatomic particles. Explore the Standard Model, weak and strong nuclear interaction, collision types, muon detection, and more.
Level: Grades 9-12
History and Discovery (4)
Activities:
Radioactive decay happens when an atomic nucleus of an unstable atom loses energy by emitting ionizing radiation. This resource simulates alpha decay, in which the nucleus emits an alpha particle. It's much simpler to understand than beta decay, and a good place for beginners to start. Don't miss the Bucket o' Polonium activity, which will help kids understand half-life. Note: If kids want to know, "Why are we studying this?", it's interesting to note that thorium-powered concept cars feature a nuclear reactor that uses alpha decay. In theory, 8 grams of thorium could power a car for one million miles with zero emissions.
Level: Grades 6-12
References and Collections:
The online collection provides topical exhibits, visual archives, oral history interviews, a listing of books and other publications, and example syllabi for history of science courses. All of these resources are available for use in classes where appropriate. The Center is recognized world-wide for the quality its resources.
Level: Grades K-12
We highly recommend this resource to help students grasp the hardships and obstacles often faced by pioneering scientists, especially women and minorities. The segment on Pierre Curie's death is a tear-jerker, but will generate plenty of respect for Curie's tenacity. For a simulation on the same topic, see link in Activities above to PhET's Alpha Decay, which contains a very good accompanying lesson plan for high school teachers.
Level: Grades 8-12
Content Support For Teachers:
Einstein Online provides the user with a simple, but thorough, introduction to Einstein's Theory of Relativity. Theories of Special and General Relativity are explained in detail, going through concepts such as Relativity, Spacetime and Space Geometry. The second section contains applications of both theories, from the Relativity of Simultaneity, to Gravity and Gravitational Waves, to Black Holes and Cosmology, to the Quantum realm.
Teaching Nanoscale Science (7)
Lesson Plans:
Want to give your students hands-on experiences in modern physics topics? Here is a set of 6 investigations that use data analysis as the framework for the study. Investigations appropriate for high school include: Searching for the Top Quark Mass, Special Relativity, Cosmic Ray e-Lab, and Search for Higgs. Investigations for both middle school and high school include: Sloan Sky Server Projects and Simply Prairie. All data is freely accessible, with explicit instructions provided. Package includes student activity pages & an online homepage for learners.
Level: Grades 6-12
This curricular unit aims to model the process scientists use when confronted with new phenomena. It's a multimedia introduction to nanoscience, the study of special phenomena that occur when objects are of a size between 1 and 100 nanometers. You'll find activities for exploring scale and unusual properties at the nanoscale, lessons about the tools of nanotechnology such as the scanning probe microscope, and example applications. Supplementary materials include a classroom play about a not-too-futuristic world where every aspect of daily life is influenced by nanotechnology.
Level: Grades 9-12
Duration: 2-10 Class Periods
Activities:
This is a collection of field-tested activities designed to integrate high school biology, chemistry, and physics. Each lesson provides guided explorations through simulations and models, featuring 4 themes: motion and energy, charge, atoms/molecules, and light. The overarching concept that connects all four is that atoms and molecules are the fundamental basis for all interactions.
Level: Grades 9-12
The NSF-sponsored NanoSense project was created to address the question of how to teach nanoscale science at the secondary level. Includes four comprehensive curriculum units to introduce teachers and students to nanotechnology. Each unit has been classroom tested and provides extensive content support -- all designed to be adaptable for short introductions or longer classroom projects.
Level: Grades 8-12
This 5-minute video adapted from NOVA scienceNOW explores the potential of carbon nanotubes, whose strength and unique properties make them useful for a variety of applications. See animations of how carbon atoms bond to one another in different ways to make diamond, graphite, buckyballs, and nanotubes. Consider how a seemingly impossible application, such as an elevator from the surface of Earth to space, is now theoretically possible.
Level: Grades 6-12
References and Collections:
This is the portal for The Concord Consortium, a nonprofit research and development corporation dedicated to transforming education through technology. Hundreds of interactive resources are available, many of which focus on the molecular basis of common phenomena. Resources include publications on the use of modeling, online learning, and assessment.
Level: Grades 6-12
This is a very high-quality free course on topics in modern physics, developed by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center. Its goal is to get teachers and learners excited about important unanswered questions that are being investigated right now in contemporary physics. The course has 3 components: Textbook, video clips, and web-based modules. Teachers can use the course for their own development or supplement high school physics classes with the interactive modules and videos.
Properties of Matter (3)
Activities:
This classroom-tested module features 8 interactive models for exploring atomic arrangements in gases, solids, and liquids. Highlight an atom and view its trajectory to see how motion differs in each of the 3 primary phases. Add heat energy to a system to watch molecular bonds break as molecules overcome their attraction. Editor's Note: This model is a very effective tool for visualizing the intermolecular attractions that underlie a phase change. Highly recommended.
Level: Grades 8-12
Duration: 1-2 Class Periods
References and Collections:
This interactive periodic table is one of the web's most extensive reference resources on the elements and their properties. Click on any element in the table to see a spectrum of information, including electron configuration, atomic and nuclear properties, and a brief history of each element.
Level: Grades 6-12
This interactive periodic table merges science and art to explore the elements in a visually striking way. The table is arranged in the traditional format, but each element is represented by a photograph or illustration relating to its origin or use. With a click, users can view extensive data and brief histories of 103 elements. Embedded animations for common elements complete the package.
Level: Grades 6-12
Elements and the Periodic Table (4)
References and Collections:
This interactive periodic table is one of the web's most extensive reference resources on the elements and their properties. Click on any element in the table to see a spectrum of information, including electron configuration, atomic and nuclear properties, and a brief history of each element.
Level: Grades 6-12
There are lots of interactive Periodic Tables on the web. This one is exemplary because it provides an easy-to-read tutorial with simulations placed at just the right points for students to immediately apply what they learned. It is simple enough for novice learners, but challenging enough to work a student's brain.
Level: Grades 6-12
This resource has the added feature of displaying elements in tabs at the top of the web page. It is quite easy for learners to compare various elements without toggling among different windows or browser tabs. Click on any element to view physical properties, atomic structure, background information, and images. Selected elements feature videos that show reactions among common elements.
Level: Grades 6-12
This interactive periodic table merges science and art to explore the elements in a unique and visually striking way. It's arranged in the traditional format, but each element is represented by a photograph or illustration relating to its origin or use. With a click, users can view extensive data and brief histories of 103 elements. Animations have also been embedded for some of the more common elements
Level: Grades 6-12
Molecular Structures and Bonding (10)
Lesson Plans:
This lesson was created specifically to accompany the PhET simulation Nuclear Fission, giving guided direction to ensure students stay focused on learning goals. By using this printed guide, students will be prompted to think about what happens in a nuclear reaction, what makes a nucleus "fissionable" and how nuclear power containment vessels prevent a runaway chain reaction. We recommend introducing this simulation after first exploring a related PhET simulation, "Isotopes and Atomic Mass". Beginning learners need a foundation to understand factors that affect stability of an atomic nucleus.
Level: Grades 8-12
Activities:
This simulation promotes understanding of isotopes by providing a simple way to model isotopes of the first 10 elements in the Periodic Table. In the most basic model, users click on an atomic symbol. The simulation displays a stable isotope for that atom. (For example, choose Helium and view a nucleus with two protons and two neutrons.) Now, drag neutrons into the nucleus and watch to see if the atom becomes unstable.
Level: Grades 6-12
Fire a virtual neutron gun and induce fission in a radioactive Uranium 235 nucleus. Watch the nucleus split into two daughter nuclei, then start a chain reaction by using multiple U-235 nuclei.....or prevent one by introducing non-radioactive isotopes. Switch the tab to "Nuclear Reactor" and adjust control rods to manage the reaction. Yep, it's fun. And also educational! Editor's Note: We highly recommend the PhET Student Guide that accompanies this simulation to keep your students focused on learning goals. Find it under Lesson Plans above.
Level: Grades 8-12
How do attractive and repulsive forces act on atomic particles and influence the sharing of electrons? This interactive Flash tutorial helps students visualize what is happening in the covalent bonding process. They will view two hydrogen atoms interact to create a covalent bond, learn about patterns in the periodic table, and explore how electrostatic potential energy affects bonding.
Level: Grades 8-12
Radioactive decay happens when an atomic nucleus of an unstable atom loses energy by emitting ionizing radiation. This resource simulates alpha decay, in which the nucleus emits an alpha particle. It's much simpler to understand than beta decay, and a good place for beginners to start. Don't miss the Bucket o' Polonium activity, which will help kids understand half-life. Note: If kids want to know, "Why are we studying this?", it's interesting to note that thorium-powered concept cars feature a nuclear reactor that uses alpha decay. In theory, 8 grams of thorium could power a car for one million miles with zero emissions.
Level: Grades 7-12
Modeling phenomena at the atomic level gives students a firmer understanding of why atoms form bonds in predictable ways: by transferring or sharing electrons. This interactive model presents the Standard Model of an atom -- a nucleus consisting of protons & neutrons, with electrons surrounding it in regions of high probability called orbitals. Kids will have fun as they explore electron configuration.
Level: Grades 8-12
Duration: One Class Period
Content Support For Teachers:
Produced by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, this resource gives a good general overview of nuclear science. Through descriptions and illustrations, students explore nuclear structure; radioactivity; alpha, beta, and gamma decay; half-life; reactions; fusion; fission; cosmic rays; and antimatter. Included is a comprehensive activity on how to build a cosmic ray detector with detailed lab manual and procedurals, plus nine shorter experiments on topics related to nuclear science.
Level: Grades 6-12
Looking for content support in nuclear processes, or want to supplement your students' textbook? This is a chapter from a cost-free digital textbook, developed for non-scientists. This chapter deals with the atomic nucleus and radiation, nuclear energy, and uses of radioactive substances. It builds a foundation to understand the physical forces in the nucleus (electrostatic force and strong force), and explains how chemical reactions differ from nuclear reactions. Graphs and diagrams depict what happens in radioactive decay. The section on chemical nuclear equations is straightforward and comprehensible for non-scientists.
Level: Grades 8-12
Student Tutorials:
In this interactive activity, students explore different types of chemical bonds by first viewing a single hydrogen atom in an electric field model. Next, students use sliders to change the electronegativity between two atoms -- a model to help them understand why some atoms are attracted. Finally, students experiment in making their own models: non-polar covalent, polar covalent, and ionic bonds.
Level: Grades 9-12
Modeling phenomena at the atomic level gives students a firmer understanding of why atoms form bonds in predictable ways: by transferring or sharing electrons. This interactive model presents the Standard Model of an atom -- a nucleus consisting of protons & neutrons, with electrons surrounding it in regions of high probability called orbitals. Kids will have fun as they explore electron configuration.
Level: Grades 8-12
Duration: One Class Period
Nuclear Processes (2)
Lesson Plans:
This lesson was created specifically to accompany the PhET simulation Nuclear Fission, giving guided direction to ensure students stay focused on learning goals. By using this printed guide, students will be prompted to think about what happens in a nuclear reaction, what makes a nucleus "fissionable" and how nuclear power containment vessels prevent a runaway chain reaction. We recommend introducing this simulation after first exploring a related PhET simulation, "Isotopes and Atomic Mass". Beginning learners need a foundation to understand factors that affect stability of an atomic nucleus.
Level: Grades 7-12
Duration: 1-2 Class Periods
Activities:
Great activity to help students understand the random nature of radioactive decay, designed to accompany the PhET simulation "Alpha Decay". Watch an alpha particle eject from the nucleus, then see the "parent" decay into an atom with a mass number of 4 less than the original. Reset the nucleus to see the randomness. Next, switch the view to "Multiple Atoms" and watch a pattern of decay for 100 virtual polonium 211 atoms. Even though the decay rate of an individual atom is not predictable, learners can clearly see the trend that half the atoms will decay by the designated half-life.
Level: Grades 8-12
Duration: One Class Period
Microscopy: Observing at the Nanoscale (5)
Activities:
Just what is a scanning probe microscope, and how does it use a tiny physical probe to "see" nanoscale specimens? This animated tutorial is a great way to explore the basics of SPM, which has become a very important tool for imaging samples as small as 10 nanometers.
Level: Grades 8-12
Duration: One Class Period
This animated tutorial illustrates the basics of SEM, scanning electron microscopy. View the internal & external components of the microscope, then explore how it uses electron emission and capture to create an image. Finally, watch as the animation shows how the digital signal is converted into grayscale pixels on a computer screen.
Level: Grades 7-12
Duration: One Class Period
Interactively explore various specimens as they appear under a scanning electron microscope. SEM can produce very high-resolution photos of details as small as 1-5 nanometers. Students can adjust the focus, brightness, and contrast, and choose from a cockroach, pollen grain, diatom, a gecko foot, a jellyfish, and more. Each successive image doubles the magnitude of the magnification.
Level: Grades 4-12
References and Collections:
This project, part of NASA's Virtual Laboratory initiative, makes free scientific instrumentation data available to students and teachers worldwide. The site supports and shares data from 3 instruments: a scanning electron microscope, a fluorescence light microscope, and an atomic force microscope. It's shared via software that provides a simulation of the group's actual microscope interfaces. The controls allow you to explore any point of interest on the sample at your own work station, plus provides robust annotation tools for keeping your own records of specimen data.
Level: Grades 6-12
Student Tutorials:
What is microscopy and what sort of careers are available to a microscopist? This web page features animated tutorials that illustrate the basics of the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and the Scanning Probe Microscope (SPM). It includes interviews with practicing scientists from a wide variety of fields, who talk about career paths that utilize microscopy.
Level: Grades 8-12
