The Building Blocks of Matter
Students use the associated activity to learn about atoms and their structure (protons, electrons, neutrons) — the building blocks of matter. They see how scientific discoveries about atoms and molecules influence new technologies developed by engineers.
The building blocks of matterCopyright U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/images/carbon%20atom.gif
Some students may have heard of anti-matter, "phasers" (Star Trek™ laser-like weapons that emit high-energy light bursts to stun or fatally wound an enemy) and "Beam me up, Scotty!" (the Star Trek ™ signal to the transporter room). Imagination is great, and as technology advances and engineers learn more about the building blocks of matter, these types of technologies move from imagination to reality.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Define a molecule.
- List the basic components and structure of the atom.
- Understand how engineers use their knowledge of atomic structure to design new technologies.