Overview The Cosmic Chemistry project consisted of creating a model that is based on concepts we learned about in class. Some of these cosmic concepts include nuclear energy, chemical energy, radioactive decay, fission, and fusion. My group and I decided to model the life cycle of a star using Tinkercad, an online 3d modeling program. We created each step of a star's life cycle on this program individually and put it on a slideshow There for each phase we explained how old it is, what processes go on inside, and the model. We also show how a certain stars life cycle is predicted.
Subatomic Particles - Any particles smaller than an atom. Some include protons, neutrons, and electrons, all of which make up an atom. Fisson - A reaction where the nucleus of an atom splits into two smaller nuclei Fusion - A reaction where two or more nuclei combine to make a heavier nucleus. This is how all elements up to iron are created in the stars Radioactive Decay - The breakdown of a nucleus, causing the release of energy and matter Half Life - The time it takes for the radioactivity of a certain isotope to fall to half its original value Nuclear Transmutation - The conversion of one element or isotope into another Radiation - The emission of energy as waves or particles Nucleosynthesis - The process of creating new nuclei from protons and neutrons. This is how elements beyond iron are created in supernovas. Alpha Particle - A helium nucleus emitted by radioactive elements Beta Particle - A high energy electron emitted during radioactive decay of a nucleus Gamma Rays - Electromagnetic radiation caused by radioactive decay. They have the shortest wavelength and highest energy of all electromagnetic waves.
Reflection This project was pretty average in terms of difficulty. The directions were a little confusing at first because they weren't very specific, but it was resolved with asking the teacher. As for our model, it required work and creativity because the program had certain limitations with what we could create. Compared to models we could have done though, we did not choose the most difficult way to show our topic of stellar evolution. One thing I did well on was leadership. I made sure the work was divided evenly and recommended that we use Tinkercad. Another thing I did well with was time management. We finished up pretty quickly compared to other groups. Something I did not do so well on was research. I feel like we could have put more time into researching our topic more thoroughly instead of relying on mostly surface information. Another thing I could improve on was work ethic. I found myself getting distracted with talking to my group instead of working a lot.