November 24-30, 2011, Current Events Lesson Plan
Current Event:
Incredibly tiny subatomic particles called neutrinos may travel faster than light, according to a series of experiments conducted in Europe. The particles were produced at the CERN laboratory on the German-Swiss border. They then traveled about 450 miles (730 kilometers) through the ground to a giant detector in Italy. The neutrinos reportedly arrived a 0.000000058 second faster than a light beam would have.
The physicist Albert Einstein concluded in the early 1900s that nothing could travel faster than the speed of light as part of his theory of relativity. The theory has been a cornerstone of modern physics ever since. Neutrinos may cause the most widely accepted theories of modern physics to be revised. However, they are unusual in nature with a mass so small–or completely nonexistent–that scientists have not yet been able to measure it directly.
Objective:
The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles will give students a basic understanding of Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. They’ll also learn about the subatomic particles known as neutrinos and why they may cause a need to revise the theories of modern physics.
People and Places:
Vocabulary Terms:
- experiment
- light
- mass
- matter
- neutrinos
- physics
- relativity
- speed of light
- subatomic particles
- theory
Discussion Topics:
1. Ask your students what they know about Albert Einstein. Afterward, talk about what your students didn’t mention, which could include:
- his special theory of relativity, including the famous E = mc-squared (E = mc2) equation
- his general theory of relativity
- the photoelectric effect
- Brownian motion
- his Nobel Prize in physics
- his support of pacifism, Zionism, and socialism
- that he was an accomplished violinist who played the instrument throughout his life
2. The speed of light in an empty space is about 186,282 miles (299,792 kilometers) per second. Albert Einstein predicted that no object or unit of information can travel faster than the speed of light, but the series of experiments conducted in Europe may cause the need for a revision of Einstein’s theory. If this turns out to be the case, ask your students what they think that will mean for modern physics.
3. Neutrinos are subatomic particles, which include the three major particles found in atoms: protons, electrons, and neutrons. Discuss these three major particles, their properties, where each of them are found in atoms, and why neutrinos fall in the lepton family of particles.
4. Scientists have not yet been able to measure the mass of a neutrino because neutrinos do not interact with ordinary matter easily. Discuss the concepts of mass and matter and how they relate to each other. Explain to students that weight is understood to mean mass, and that in that sense, to weigh means to determine the mass of. Ask them to find the mass of several objects by weighing them to determine the matter that make up the objects, and reporting their findings.