Skill: Developing Models

Rolling dice serves as the model for decaying particles.

Students explore some basics of magnetic fields that can be related to experimental particle physics.

Students measure the effects of electric and magnetic fields on particles. 

Teams of students organize cards depicting fundamental particles based on their characteristics. This activity is a foundation for learning about the Standard Model and parallels the methods used by scientists to organize the elements into the period table.

ATLAS Data Express is a short investigation in which students inspect and characterize Z events in the LHC and distinguish muons from electrons.

Students roll dice, record the resulting individual values as well as the sum of the values, create histograms of the data and develop insight into the concept of “degrees of freedom." 

Use quantum physics and LHC data to estimate the size of the proton.

CMS Data Express is a short investigation in which students inspect and characterize W or Z events from the LHC.

Students create and interpret a histogram of penny masses.

Students use statistics to make an indirect measurement they can easily confirm.