1. Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics
Marble Nuclei Activities
For use with “Learning Nuclear Science With Marbles” version 4.1
JINA is supported by the National Science Foundation through the Physics Frontier Center program.

2. Isotope BINGO (pg 2-3) Rules
Leader will call out type of isotope (e.g. “oxygen”) and you pick one of that type
Need help? Check legend at bottom right
Don’t write on your BINGO cards, use scraps of paper to cover your isotopes
Write numbers on the scraps to indicate which order you played the (first = 1, etc)
Carbon-12 is a free space
Five in a row to win; four corners is cheap

3. Nucleosynthesis Game (pg 4-5)
Rules
Teams of 2 with your marbles, dice and QRS
Take turns rolling and following instructions on page 5
Check your Chart after every change; if your new nucleus isn’t on there, go back to the nucleus you had before!
“Bombardment” on 2 or 12 is optional
First team to make an oxygen or heavier (8+ protons) nucleus wins!

4. Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (pg 6)
Rules
Start with 7 yellow protons and 1 green neutron
Keep protons in left hand, neutron or anything you make in right hand
Move around the room and perform allowed “reactions” with different people
Need help? Check the list of allowed “reactions” – usually, two people should have the particles to perform one of them
Got Helium-4? You win, sit down

5. The p-p chain (pg 7) Rules Start with 4 yellow protons and a die
Always keep loose protons in left hand, anything you make with them in right hand
Move around the room, each time you meet a person compare your particles
Both only have protons? Put them together and roll dice
Different numbers? Take back your proton and move on
Same numbers? Switch one proton to a (green) neutron and roll to see who keeps the p+n, then move on
One or both of you have something more than just protons? Figure out which reaction you can do on the right, put them together, roll to see who keeps it, then move on
Got Helium-4? You win, sit down

6. Fragmentation Box (pg 8-11)
Rules
Play with your marbles for 2 minutes
Start following instructions with step 1, “Acceleration”
Take turns being the reader
Make sure everyone gets to smash marbles
Need help? Re-read instructions, then ask
Try to do all steps 1-4 (“acceleration” thru “creating rare isotopes”)
Most important part: smash C-12 three times in “creating rare isotopes” and write the three isotopes you make on the board

7. Neutron Capture Processes (pg 12)
Big
Bang
Stellar fusion
Of course, we also do research because we’re curious. One big mystery we’re trying to solve is where all the different elements came from. H and He were created in the beginning of our universe, after the Big Bang, these were mostly created when stars fused hydrogen into heavier elements for fuel, these are man-made… but the vast majority of elements were made in a lot of strange and complicated ways! One of which: supernovas (exploding stars) form unstable nuclei that later become these elements, so we study the unstable nuclei to understand how.
Human-made
Not naturally-occurring

8. Red giants and supergiants
Of course, we also do research because we’re curious. One big mystery we’re trying to solve is where all the different elements came from. H and He were created in the beginning of our universe, after the Big Bang, these were mostly created when stars fused hydrogen into heavier elements for fuel, these are man-made… but the vast majority of elements were made in a lot of strange and complicated ways! One of which: supernovas (exploding stars) form unstable nuclei that later become these elements, so we study the unstable nuclei to understand how.

9. Heavier elements thru neutron capture
Free neutrons are created by nuclear reactions in a red giant
Stable nucleus absorbs a neutron, making it neutron-rich and unstable
Unstable nucleus releases energy/becomes stable by beta decay, turning a neutron into a proton
Final nucleus has more protons/is a heavier element than original nucleus
New stable nucleus absorbs a neutron…

10. Neutron-capture process

11. Beta-minus decay

12. Which way will it go?
What determines whether an unstable isotope will decay OR capture another neutron?

13. A helpful legend
Remember: the two beta decays
go opposite ways!

14. Plotting the “s-process”
Assume a neutron capture every 10 years
Work with a partner
If half-life > 10 yr then capture
If half-life < 10 yr then decay
Hard mode/if you have time:
If 5 yr < half-life < 20 yr
then follow BOTH capture and decay paths

15. Plotting the “r-process”
Assume a neutron capture
every 100 milliseconds (ms)
Work with a partner
If half-life > 100ms then capture
If half-life < 100ms then decay
Hard mode/if you have time:
If 50ms < half-life < 200ms
then follow BOTH capture and decay paths

16. A full r-process simulation
Black boxes are stable isotopes
Protons (Elements)
Iron
common rare
Neutrons (Isotopes)
Nuclei are bombarded with neutrons, forming rare isotopes that will decay into stable heavy elements