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The Incredible Hulk, Marie Curie, Hiroshima, PET Scans. Has human interaction with radioactive materials generally resulted in positive or negative outcomes for humanity?
Introduction
The Incredible Hulk, Marie Curie, Hiroshima, PET Scans. Has human interaction with radioactive materials generally resulted in positive or negative outcomes for humanity? In this expedition we’ll explore nuclear radiation - what it is, how it works, and the ways in which humans have used (and mis-used) nuclear chemistry throughout history. While highlighting the unsung female explorers (and victims) of this branch of science, we’ll look to the future to explore how nuclear energy can be made useful through clean power production and science fiction. ☢️⚛️💥⚗️
Essential Questions
- What makes up an atom, and how are these particles arranged?
- How are elements classified and organized for study?
- What properties of chemicals or elements are typically observed and why do those properties occur?
- Why is it important that we correctly identify and classify elements and compounds?
- What is radioactivity and how does this interact with the outside world?
- How do nuclear reactions occur and how can this energy be made useful or harmful?
- Why are nuclear reactions both useful and dangerous?
- What is exponential behavior and what data sets can be modeled using exponential functions?
- What do exponential functions and their graphs tell us about expected outcomes?
- How is exponential growth and decay modeled?
- How can models, graphs, and functions help predict outcomes for exponential functions?
- Why are functions and graphs useful for representing exponential data?
Learning Objectives
- Describe the structure and function of atoms and subatomic particles.
- Explain electron energy levels and transitions.
- Identify isotopes and their characteristics.
- Describe the arrangement and organization of the Periodic Table.
- Describe the physical and chemical properties of certain types of matter.
- Describe some beneficial and harmful effects of radioactive isotopes.
- Differentiate between Fission and Fusion.
- Model radioactive decay through written and mathematical models.
- Represent nuclear reactions.
- Recognize and describe unstable isotopes.
- Identify the domain and range of exponential functions.
- Simplify exponential expressions.
- Convert between tables, formulas, and graphs of exponential growth and decay functions.
- Identify key differences between exponential and linear models.