For the Cosmic Chemistry project, my group and I were tasked with creating a model to explain some aspect of Cosmic Chemistry. The guidelines for this project were intentionally left loose to allow for creative freedom. To tackle this problem of cosmic proportions, I teamed up with Andersen Teoh, Evan Colenbrander, and Ryan Miller.
Elements: The Gathering |
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For this project, my team and created a card game based on Magic: The Gathering. We developed a set of rules similar to the game and made two decks out of card-stock. Each deck contains 60 cards, made up of elements and reactions. The aspect of Cosmic Chemistry explained by our model is the different types of fusion. In the game, you level up elements through certain types of fusion. The rules of the game are explained in the slideshow. Below are the cards in each deck.
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Concepts
Stellar Nucleosynthesis: the act of creating new elements in nature.
Supernova: an exploding star at the end of its' life cycle.
Particle Accelerator: man-made structures meant to synthesize elements with higher numbers of protons than the naturally created ones.
Nuclear Fusion: a nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei of low atomic number fuse to form a heavier nucleus with the release of energy.
Nuclear Fission: a nuclear reaction in which a heavy nucleus splits spontaneously or on impact with another particle, with the release of energy.
Radioactive Decay: the spontaneous breakdown of an atomic nucleus resulting in the release of energy and matter from the nucleus.
Alpha Decay: when an atom's nucleus sheds two protons and two neutrons in a packet that scientists call an alpha particle.
Beta Decay: when an atom's nucleus decays through the release of beta particles.
Gamma Rays: penetrating electromagnetic radiation of a kind arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei.
Half-Life: the time it takes for the concentration of that substance to fall to half of its initial value.
Supernova: an exploding star at the end of its' life cycle.
Particle Accelerator: man-made structures meant to synthesize elements with higher numbers of protons than the naturally created ones.
Nuclear Fusion: a nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei of low atomic number fuse to form a heavier nucleus with the release of energy.
Nuclear Fission: a nuclear reaction in which a heavy nucleus splits spontaneously or on impact with another particle, with the release of energy.
Radioactive Decay: the spontaneous breakdown of an atomic nucleus resulting in the release of energy and matter from the nucleus.
Alpha Decay: when an atom's nucleus sheds two protons and two neutrons in a packet that scientists call an alpha particle.
Beta Decay: when an atom's nucleus decays through the release of beta particles.
Gamma Rays: penetrating electromagnetic radiation of a kind arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei.
Half-Life: the time it takes for the concentration of that substance to fall to half of its initial value.
Reflection
Looking back on the project, it was definitely a great learning experience for me. The building portion of the project went well. Most of our group was on task all the time and we were able to get a lot of work done. This part of the project taught me many things. I learned how to create rule sets for games and I learned about how fusion occurs, both naturally and artificially. However, there were definitely a few bumps in the road. After we had finished creating the cards online, we had to print them. We really wanted them to turn out nice, but normal paper would just be too flimsy. This taught me about the importance of dedication because we all pitched in to print the cards on card-stock. Another peak was the presentation. We delivered the presentation successfully too. The crowd somewhat understood what we said and we were able to answer their questions. This part of the project taught me about public speaking. Another pit occurred when we had to cut out the cards. The work was extremely tedious and some mistakes were made. This part of the project taught me about perseverance. There are still things that I think I need to do better though. I need to work on my collaboration skills. This Cosmic Chemistry project definitely taught me many things, and was a great start to a year of Chemistry!
Looking back on the project, it was definitely a great learning experience for me. The building portion of the project went well. Most of our group was on task all the time and we were able to get a lot of work done. This part of the project taught me many things. I learned how to create rule sets for games and I learned about how fusion occurs, both naturally and artificially. However, there were definitely a few bumps in the road. After we had finished creating the cards online, we had to print them. We really wanted them to turn out nice, but normal paper would just be too flimsy. This taught me about the importance of dedication because we all pitched in to print the cards on card-stock. Another peak was the presentation. We delivered the presentation successfully too. The crowd somewhat understood what we said and we were able to answer their questions. This part of the project taught me about public speaking. Another pit occurred when we had to cut out the cards. The work was extremely tedious and some mistakes were made. This part of the project taught me about perseverance. There are still things that I think I need to do better though. I need to work on my collaboration skills. This Cosmic Chemistry project definitely taught me many things, and was a great start to a year of Chemistry!