Nuclear science is an important topic in terms of its application to power generation, medical diagnostics and treatment, and national defense. Unfortunately, the subatomic domain is far removed from daily experience, and few learning aids are available to teachers. What follows describes a low-tech, hands-on method to teach important concepts in nuclear physics, including the quark model, anti-matter, nuclear binding energy, stability, the nuclear shell model, and the importance of symmetry, by making use of neodymium disc magnets.
REFERENCES
1.
Zach
Constan
, “Learning nuclear science with marbles
,” Phys. Teach.
48
,114
–117
(Feb. 2010
).2.
Kenneth E.
Jesse
, “Computer simulation of radioactive decay
,” Phys. Teach.
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–543
(Dec. 2003
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Neodymium disc magnets are available at
Applied Magnets Inc.
, www.magnets4less.com, or K&J Magnetics Inc., www. kjmagnetics.com.© 2013 American Association of Physics Teachers.
2013
American Association of Physics Teachers
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