Foundations of Physical Science Workshop: The Atom

The Atom – Atom Building Game CPO Science

Key Questions  What are atoms and how are they put together?  What does atomic structure have to do with the periodic table?

Subatomic Particles  What three basic particles make up all atoms?

Subatomic Particles  Protons  Neutrons  Electrons

Subatomic Particles  The marbles represent these particles. Can you guess which marble represents which particle?

Subatomic Particles  Now see if you can determine which are protons and which are neutrons:

 Several groups build an atom with: 7 blues, 6 reds, 6 yellows  Others build an atom with: 15 yellows, 16 blues, 15 reds  Others build an atom with 8 yellows, 8 reds, and 9 blues Building Atoms  Several groups build an atom with: 7 blues, 6 reds, 6 yellows  Others build an atom with: 15 yellows, 16 blues, 15 reds  Others build an atom with 8 yellows, 8 reds, and 9 blues

 4 players or teams per board  Each player starts with 6 blues, 5 reds, and 5 yellows in their board pocket.  Each player takes turns adding marbles to the atom (up to 5 per turn) to make real, stable atoms.  The first player to lose all their marbles wins!!! The game of Atomic Challenge  4 players or teams per board  Each player starts with 6 blues, 5 reds, and 5 yellows in their board pocket.  Each player takes turns adding marbles to the atom (up to 5 per turn) to make real, stable atoms.  The first player to lose all their marbles wins!!!

Atom Building Reminders

and 7 yellows  Each player starts with 7 blues, 7 reds, and 7 yellows in the board pocket. Building Atoms using Nuclear Particle Cards  Each player starts with 7 blues, 7 reds, and 7 yellows in the board pocket.  4 players or teams per board  Shuffle cards and deal 5 per player  On each turn, play a card and add or take particles as the card instructs  On some turns you will score points; on other turns you will not (you may be blocking an opponent)

Scoring Points: If your move…  Creates or leaves a stable nucleus, you score 1 point  Creates or leaves a neutral atom, you score 1 point  Creates a perfect, neutral atom with a stable nucleus, you score 3 points  First person to 15 points wins!

Light and the Atom  Atoms absorb and then emit energy with their electrons  When the energy emitted falls within the visible spectrum we see it as light

Laser Light  An Acronym - Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation  Monochromatic  In-Phase  Coherent  Many Uses

The game of Photons & Lasers  Teaches players about how light is absorbed and emitted from atoms  The objective of the game is to score points by stimulating excited electrons to lase, emitting photons of light  Players play pump cards to excite the atom by moving electrons up energy levels  Players score points by playing laser cards and moving electrons back down energy levels

Setting Up Photons & Lasers  To begin, the atom should be set up for a specific element  Neon 20 is a good choice with 10 each of protons, neutrons, and electrons  The electrons should all start in the lowest possible levels – the ground state  Each player is dealt 5 cards from the shuffled deck of Photon & Lasers cards  Play consists of moving electrons up and down energy levels, the nucleus remains unchanged.

Pump Cards  Pump cards represent photons of light absorbed by the atom  An absorbed photon raises a single electron the number of energy levels corresponding to the energy (color) of the photon shown on the card  No points are scored with pump cards, but the atom is raised to an excited state which can later be used to earn points by playing laser cards.

Laser Cards  Laser cards represent the emission of light from the atom, matching the energy (color) of the stimulating photon  Playing a laser card allows the player to move as many electrons as possible down the number of energy levels specified on the card  When electrons move down energy levels points are scored!

Playing Photons & Lasers  Players take turns playing one card per turn and moving electrons up and down energy levels as instructed on the card played  Each player draws a new card from the deck after each play to maintain a five card hand  If necessary the played cards can be re- shuffled and re-used

Scoring Points  In any given turn electrons may be moved from one level only and only to unfilled states in the appropriate lower level  The total number of electrons moved down (lased) multiplied by the number of energy levels indicated on the laser card equals the points for that turn  1 electron moved 2 levels = 1 x 2 = 2 points  3 electrons moved 2 levels = 3 x 2 = 6 points  4 electrons moved 3 levels = 4 x 3 = 12 points