Build a carbon atom out of up quarks, down quarks, and electrons in this interactive activity from the NOVA Web site.

Students view continuous spectra from incandescent and fluorescent lights and line spectra of selected elements. Students relate energy to frequency of light seen in the spectra. The presence of only certain lines in atomic spectra is related to Bohr's model of the atom. In a second experiment, students determine electron energies in the hydrogen atom.

This video segment adapted from A Science Odyssey takes a look at the scale of the atom and the tremendous amount of space between the electrons and the nucleus. If all this empty space exists in matter, how can any substance be solid?

This lesson introduces students to the fundamental concepts of electricity. This is accomplished by addressing questions such as "How is electricity generated," and "How is it used in every-day life?" The lesson also includes illustrative examples of circuit diagrams to help explain how electricity flows.

This illustration from Biology by Kenneth R. Miller and Joseph Levine describes the steps of the electron transport chain, the second stage in the process of cellular respiration.

Students learn about the periodic table and how pervasive the elements are in our daily lives. After reviewing the table organization and facts about the first 20 elements, they play an element identification game. They also learn that engineers incorporate these elements into the design of new products and processes. Acting as computer and animation engineers, students creatively express their new knowledge by creating a superhero character based on of the elements they now know so well.

This lesson plan explores the fundamentals of atoms and their structure. The building blocks of matter (protons, electrons, neutrons) are covered in detail. Students think about how atoms and molecules can influence new technologies developed by engineers.

This course focuses on the fundamentals of structure, energetics, and bonding that underpin materials science. It is the introductory lecture class for sophomore students in Materials Science and Engineering, taken with 3.014 and 3.016 to create a unified introduction to the subject. Topics include: an introduction to thermodynamic functions and laws governing equilibrium properties, relating macroscopic behavior to atomistic and molecular models of materials; the role of electronic bonding in determining the energy, structure, and stability of materials; quantum mechanical descriptions of interacting electrons and atoms; materials phenomena, such as heat capacities, phase transformations, and multiphase equilibria to chemical reactions and magnetism; symmetry properties of molecules and solids; structure of complex, disordered, and amorphous materials; tensors and constraints on physical properties imposed by symmetry; and determination of structure through diffraction. Real-world applications include engineered alloys, electronic and magnetic materials, ionic and network solids, polymers, and biomaterials.

While all cells have a great deal in common, there is no end to the variation among them. These images provide a sense of the wondrous diversity found in the world of cells.

Students are introduced to the idea of electrical energy. They learn about the relationships between charge, voltage, current and resistance. They discover that electrical energy is the form of energy that powers most of their household appliances and toys. In the associated activities, students learn how a circuit works and test materials to see if they conduct electricity. Building upon a general understanding of electrical energy, they design their own potato power experiment. In two literacy activities, students learn about the electrical power grid and blackouts.

In this activity, students make a model of a lithium atom using gumdrops and toothpicks. Using this model, they investigate the makeup of an atom, including its relative size. Students also practice adding and subtracting electrons from an atom and determining the overall charges on atoms.

This film briefly considers the nature of atoms as an introduction to an educational unit on the health effects of ionizing radiation (radioactivity). Educational concepts include atoms, nucleus, proton, neutron, electron, element, isotope, electrical charges, and ions. This instructional film is from Kansas State University's web-based course, GENAG 711, Occupational and Agricultural Health. Copyright 2011, Mitch Ricketts.

This film examines the process of radioactive decay as part of an educational unit on the health effects of ionizing radiation (radioactivity). Educational concepts include radioisotope, radioactive decay, alpha radiation, beta radiation, gamma radiation, x-radiation, decay chain, and half-life. This instructional film is from Kansas State University's web-based course, GENAG 711, Occupational and Agricultural Health. Copyright 2011, Mitch Ricketts.

Are all atoms of an element the same? How can you tell one isotope from another? Use the sim to learn about isotopes and how abundance relates to the average atomic mass of an element.

Web page for the dissemination of information about nuclear data

Students in this activity will build simple circuits using a battery, wires, and light bulbs. This activity allows students to examine how electricity is conducted through a light bulb using a battery as a power source. Students will also able to observe the differences between a series circuit and parallel circuit by building each type of circuit.

This course is a required sophomore subject in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, designed to be taken in conjunction with the core lecture subject 3.012 Fundamentals of Materials Science and Engineering. The laboratory subject combines experiments illustrating the principles of quantum mechanics, thermodynamics and structure with intensive oral and written technical communication practice. Specific topics include: experimental exploration of the connections between energetics, bonding and structure of materials, and application of these principles in instruments for materials characterization; demonstration of the wave-like nature of electrons; hands-on experience with techniques to quantify energy (DSC), bonding (XPS, AES, FTIR, UV/vis and force spectroscopy), and degree of order (x-ray scattering) in condensed matter; and investigation of structural transitions and structure-property relationships through practical materials examples.

This unit covers introductory concepts of mixtures and solutions. Students think about how mixtures and solutions, and atoms and molecules can influence new technologies developed by engineers. The first lesson explores the fundamentals of atoms and their structure. The building blocks of matter (protons, electrons, neutrons) are covered in detail. The next lesson examines the properties of elements and the periodic table one method of organization for the elements. The concepts of physical and chemical properties are also reviewed. Finally, the last lesson introduces the properties of mixtures and solutions. A comparison of different mixtures and solutions, their properties and their separation qualities are discussed.

This lesson provides an overview of basic atomic structure and the concept of radioactive decay. Topics include the particles that make up an atom, binding forces, and the concept of isotopes. There is also discussion of decay methods and half-life.