Frontiers of Knowledge: What Gives Particles Mass? Searching for the Higgs Boson

More than two dozen UC San Diego physicists are working with hundreds of other scientists at CERNŐs Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, searching for a subatomic particle called the ŇHiggs boson.Ó How are they doing it? What have they found thus far? And why is this search considered one of civilizationŐs greatest quests? UC San Diego Professor of Physics Vivek Sharma, who directs the Higgs search for the CMS collaboration, explains what physicists hope to achieve at the worldŐs largest scientific experiment, involving an estimated 10,000 individuals from 60 countries. (57 minutes)

Material Type: Lecture

Frontiers of Knowledge: Einstein, The Moon, and the Long-Lost Soviet Reflector

As part of UC San DiegoŐs Division of Physical Sciences 50th Anniversary Lecture Series, join UC San DiegoŐs Tom Murphy on an exploration of how his project looking for deviations in EinsteinŐs theory of general relativity led to the discovery of the Soviet Lunokhod 1 lunar rover that vanished mysteriously nearly 40 years ago. (58 minutes)

Material Type: Lecture

Earth's Magnetic Personality: Magnetic Data in the Classroom

Earth's Magnetic Personality is the fourth and final teacher's guide in a sequence of four guides designed to understand magnetometer data and the THEMIS mission science while meeting the needs of high school teachers teaching astronomy, physics, and physical science. It was developed with the goal that students can work directly with the THEMIS magnetometer data. The guide covers vectors, the x-y-z magnetometer plots, creating a prediction for aurora using the magnetometer data, calculating the total magnetic field strength and observing it over months, and the waves in Earth's magnetic field excited by large magnetic storms.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Data Set, Diagram/Illustration, Interactive, Lesson Plan

Basic Physics Second Edition (Student Edition)

CK-12 Basic Physics - Second Edition updates CK-12 Basic Physics and is intended to be used as one small part of a multifaceted strategy to teach physics conceptually and mathematically.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Textbook

Author: Dann, James

WIMPS

This page is about the weak interacting particles, WIMPS.

Material Type: Reading

Author: Aquarlis Prime

Population Growth - Exponential and Logistic Models vs. Complex Reality

Students develop their understanding of the exponential and logistic population growth models by analyzing food poisoning and the recovery of endangered species. Then, students analyze examples where the trends in population size do not match the predictions of the exponential or logistic population growth models because the simplifying assumptions for these models are not true for the population studied. In the final section, students analyze trends in human population size and some factors that have affected and will affect these trends. This activity helps students meet the Next Generation Science Standards.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan

Author: Ingrid Waldron

How are Humans Affecting Water Quality?

In this lesson students will learn about the human demands of freshwater and how clean drinking water is being impacted. Students will analyze the issues of cause and effect between human activities and water sustainability. Students will demonstrate this knowledge by create a presentation illustrating the effects of human activities on water resources.

Material Type: Lesson Plan, Reading

Authors: Kim Kerns, Lydia Campos