Neutrinos are hard to find because a. they react with most substances b. they have no mass at all c. they rarely interact with other matter
Most of the neutrinos that reach Earth come from a. nuclear power plants b. radioactive substances c. the Sun
Neutrinos are a. the rarest type of particle in the universe b. the most common type of particle in the universe c. the second most common type of particle in the universe
Discussion/essay questions
Scientists study particles like neutrinos to find out how and why the universe formed the way it did. Do you think it is possible to fully understand what happened at the beginning of time? Why or why not?
Transcript
Neutrinos are tiny particles that are produced when atoms split, fuse, or decay. They are sometimes called “ghost particles,” because they are very difficult to detect. Neutrinos are so small that they rarely interact with other matter. Trillions of neutrinos pass through our bodies every second without touching us at all. Most of the neutrinos that reach Earth come from the Sun. They are a byproduct of nuclear fusion, which is the process the Sun uses to create energy. However, neutrinos are also produced in nuclear reactors, as well as radioactive substances. There are three types of neutrinos, and they each interact with different particles. Neutrinos can even change their type as they travel. Although they are hard to find, neutrinos are actually the second most common type of particle in the universe. They are only outnumbered by particles of light.
The purpose of Schrödinger’s thought experiment was a. to study radioactive substances b. to demonstrate the durability of cats c. to show the flaws in a scientific theory
In the experiment, the poison would be activated by a. the movements of the cat b. the locking of the box c. the decaying of the substance
According to the theory, the experiment would cause a. the cat to die several times until someone opened the box b. the cat to stay alive until someone opened the box c. the cat to be both alive and dead until someone opened the box
Discussion/essay questions
Why do you think it is so easy to be misinformed about science? Do you think there is a solution to this?
Do you think it is important for the general population to be educated about scientific topics? Why or why not?
Transcript
“Schrödinger’s cat” is a thought experiment created by Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger. The purpose of the experiment was to show the flaws in a scientific theory suggesting that particles can only definitively change if someone is observing them. In Schrödinger’s example, a cat is locked in a box with a radioactive substance and a container of poison. If the substance decays, it activates the poison and kills the cat. Schrödinger argued that if the decaying of the substance could not happen until someone observed it, then the cat would be both alive and dead until someone opened the box. Although Schrödinger’s goal was to show how strange this idea was, many people misinterpreted him. This misunderstanding has caused some people to believe that it is possible for a cat to be both alive and dead.
Human fossil fuel use is a big issue. Carbon dioxide levels are getting higher, and climate change is going to affect the world in many ways. Are there any changes you’ve made in your life to help the environment? Are there changes you’d like to make in the future?
Transcript
Carbon dating is a process that scientists use to find out the age of a fossil. All living things consume forms of carbon throughout their lives. A rare type of carbon called carbon-14 is radioactive, which means that it decays over time. Living things usually absorb carbon-14 through natural carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Since every radioactive substance decays at a specific rate, scientists can use a substance’s half-life to find out how long it has existed. Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5700 years. Scientists can estimate an age for any fossil that has enough carbon-14 left to measure. However, carbon dating may become more difficult as humans continue to use fossil fuels. Oil and coal put more stable carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which affects the amount of carbon-14 that living things absorb. If a plant or an animal does not contain enough carbon-14 to measure, then finding its age will be much harder.
