Over the long course of this project, we had many different lessons, quizzes, tests, labs, and a final presentation, that all revolved around the concepts of cosmic chemistry. We researched different parts of the universe, from the very minute, such as the atoms, elements, and alpha/beta/gamma particles, to the unimaginable massive, the start of the universe and the many types of stars. We went in depth on the chemistry behind the creation of atoms and elements, how they are created and how they are used as the building blocks of all life. We made a model of the universe that was hung up in our classroom and did group research on sections of the textbook, ours was the Properties of Light. Our class was then tasked with taking all of that information and putting together a presentation for everyone else. The topic we were given was extremely broad, all our project needed to include was 1-3 aspects of cosmic chemistry. That meant that all of us had lots of room to be creative and pick a unique idea. The final projects ranged from anywhere from songs, to escape rooms, to stop motion animations, showing each group's knowledge of cosmic chemistry in their own special way.
Our group decided to create a game based off of the well known card game Magic the Gathering. It featured the same card designs and similar rules in certain situations, however, it had its own unique twist that connected it all back to cosmic chemistry. Our 3 topics were all reactions that happened in the universe, nucleosynthesis in stars, chemical reactions from supernovas, and finally the man-made particle accelerators combining elements to make new ones. It featured the entire periodic table, attack being the number of neutrons and health being the number of protons. These all led to our game being educational and relevant to cosmic chemistry, as well as viable as a fun way to pass the time. Our final presentation consisted of 2 identical 60 card decks and a presentation explaining the rules and ways it related to cosmic chemistry. All of our online document are shown below. We had the presentation, the cards, and the key holding research and information.
Our group decided to create a game based off of the well known card game Magic the Gathering. It featured the same card designs and similar rules in certain situations, however, it had its own unique twist that connected it all back to cosmic chemistry. Our 3 topics were all reactions that happened in the universe, nucleosynthesis in stars, chemical reactions from supernovas, and finally the man-made particle accelerators combining elements to make new ones. It featured the entire periodic table, attack being the number of neutrons and health being the number of protons. These all led to our game being educational and relevant to cosmic chemistry, as well as viable as a fun way to pass the time. Our final presentation consisted of 2 identical 60 card decks and a presentation explaining the rules and ways it related to cosmic chemistry. All of our online document are shown below. We had the presentation, the cards, and the key holding research and information.
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Vocab
Subatomic Particles - Any particle, or cluster of particles, that is/are smaller than an atom. One example of this would be an alpha particle
Fission - Where the nucleus of an atom splits into two smaller, lighter nuclei either through a nuclear reaction or radioactive decay. For example, the fission of uranium creating energy
Fusion - When two smaller, lighter nuclei merge together to form a heavier nucleus. For example, the fusion of two hydrogen to create a helium
Radioactive Decay - The process in which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation to form a more stable nucleus. One example would be alpha decay
Half-life - The time taken for the radioactivity of a specified isotope to fall to half its original value, it describes how quickly unstable atoms undergo, or how long stable atoms survive, radioactive decay
Nuclear Transmutation - The conversion of one chemical element or isotope into another chemical element in any process where the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus are changed
Radiation - The emission or transmission of energy in the forms of waves or particles through space or through a material
Nucleosynthesis - The process of creating new atomic nuclei from pre-existing nucleons (protons and neutrons)
Supernova - A powerful stellar explosion triggered during the end of a massive star's life cycle
Particle Accelerator - A machine that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles at very high speeds into each other and contain them in beams
Alpha Particle - A helium nucleus emitted by the radioactive decay of an atomic nucleus generally through the process of alpha decay
Beta Particle - An electron or positron emitted by the radioactive decay of an atomic nucleus through the process of beta decay
Gamma Rays - Electromagnetic radiation emitted by the radioactive decay of an atomic nucleus, consists of the shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves and so imparts the highest photon energy
Fission - Where the nucleus of an atom splits into two smaller, lighter nuclei either through a nuclear reaction or radioactive decay. For example, the fission of uranium creating energy
Fusion - When two smaller, lighter nuclei merge together to form a heavier nucleus. For example, the fusion of two hydrogen to create a helium
Radioactive Decay - The process in which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation to form a more stable nucleus. One example would be alpha decay
Half-life - The time taken for the radioactivity of a specified isotope to fall to half its original value, it describes how quickly unstable atoms undergo, or how long stable atoms survive, radioactive decay
Nuclear Transmutation - The conversion of one chemical element or isotope into another chemical element in any process where the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus are changed
Radiation - The emission or transmission of energy in the forms of waves or particles through space or through a material
Nucleosynthesis - The process of creating new atomic nuclei from pre-existing nucleons (protons and neutrons)
Supernova - A powerful stellar explosion triggered during the end of a massive star's life cycle
Particle Accelerator - A machine that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles at very high speeds into each other and contain them in beams
Alpha Particle - A helium nucleus emitted by the radioactive decay of an atomic nucleus generally through the process of alpha decay
Beta Particle - An electron or positron emitted by the radioactive decay of an atomic nucleus through the process of beta decay
Gamma Rays - Electromagnetic radiation emitted by the radioactive decay of an atomic nucleus, consists of the shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves and so imparts the highest photon energy
Reflection
Throughout this project, our group did a pretty good job of staying on task and an okay job of dividing up the work. Some members did more than others and because of the way our cards were designed, only one person could do a task at a time. However, we finished in time to present on our class' first "presentation" day and did decent. It was hard to present a card game with just a slideshow and we struggled to show how the game actually worked to the class since it is quite complex. However, staying after and showing the game to Mrs. Vogl helped a lot and we were able to explain the smaller workings. My communication skills went up a bit during this project, as a lot of it was done out of school and I had to talk with my teammates in order to figure out who would do what. I also learned that when we do things ahead of time, instead of at the last minute, I can feel a lot more relaxed about myself and have more time to do the things that I want. Some things that we could have done better as a whole, in my opinion, is if we had more time I would have made a quick time lapse of an actual game playthrough so that the audience could see what we were saying. Another would be having images of the actual cards in the slideshow to keep people more engaged. Personally, I could really have better leadership and direct people a bit better, as I probably could have better utilized some of our group members. I also could have cooperated and listened to more ideas at the beginning of the project instead of being set on one idea and ignoring others.