ATOMIC ENERGY
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Mr. R.

“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." 
--Albert Einstein     .

 
Mr. R's Atomic Energy Passport© (a 4"x5" pocket guide) will soon be available in PDF format to print out for non-profit use (requires free Adobe Acrobat© Reader).  Passports are copyrighted, but scouts and troops may use them free of charge if they create only one per scout.  BSA councils must first contact Mr. R. before creating large quantities for scout camps, merit badge fairs, etc. (a small nominal fee will be charged).

 
Requirement #1:  Tell the meaning of the following: 
alpha particle
atom
background radiation
beta particle
curie
fallout
half-life
ionization
neutron
neutron activation
nuclear energy
nuclear reactor
particle accelerator
radiation
radioactivity
roentgen
X ray

 
Requirement #2:  Make three-dimensional models of the atoms of the three isotopes of hydrogen. Show neutrons, protons, and electrons. Use these models to explain the difference between atomic weight and number. 

 
Requirement #3:  Make a drawing showing how nuclear fission happens. Label all details. Draw a second picture showing how a chain reaction could be started. Also show how it could be stopped. Show what is meant by a "critical mass." 

 
Requirement #4:  Tell who five of the following people were. Explain what each of the five discovered in the field of atomic energy.  Explain how any one person's discovery was related to one other person's work.   
Henri Becquerel
Niels Bohr
Marie Curie
Albert Einstein
Enrico Fermi
Otto Hahn
Ernest Lawrence
Lise Meitner
William Roentgen
Sir Ernest Rutherford

 
Requirement #5:  Draw and color the radiation hazard symbol. Explain where it should and should not be used. Tell why and how people must use radiation or radioactive materials carefully. 
NOTE:  The radiation symbol is an officially prescribed symbol (a magenta or black trefoil) on a yellow background that must be displayed where certain quantities of radioactive materials are present or where certain doses of radiation could be received.
 

 
Requirement #6:  Do any THREE of the following:

a) Build an electroscope. Show how it works. Put a radiation source inside it. Explain any difference seen. 

b) Make a simple Geiger counter. Tell the parts. Tell which types of radiation the counter can spot. Tell how many counts per minute of what radiation you have found in your home. 
c) Build a model of a reactor. Show the fuel, the control rods, the shielding, the moderator, and any cooling material. Explain how a reactor could be used to change nuclear into electrical energy or make things radioactive. 
d) Use a Geiger counter and a radiation source. Show how the counts per minute change as the source gets closer. Put three different kinds of material between the source and the detector. Explain any differences in the counts per minute. Tell which is the best to shield people from radiation and why.
e) Use fast-speed film and a radiation source. Show the principles of autoradiography and radiography. Explain what happened to the films. Tell how someone could use this in medicine, research, or industry.  Definition of Radiography:   Photography that uses other kinds of radiation than visible light .
f) Using a Geiger counter (that you have built or borrowed), find a radiation source that has been hidden under a covering. Find it in at least three other places under the cover. Explain how someone could use this in medicine, research, agriculture, or industry. 
g) Visit a place where X ray is used. Draw a floor plan of the room in which it is used. Show where the unit, the person who runs it, and the patient would be when it is used. Describe the radiation dangers from X ray. 
h) Make a cloud chamber. Show how it can be used to see the tracks caused by radiation. Explain what is happening.
i) Visit a place where radioisotopes are being used. Explain by drawing how and why it is used. 
j) Get samples of irradiated seeds. Plant them. Plant a group of nonirradiated seeds of the same kind. Grow both groups. List any differences. Discuss what irradiation does to seeds.
  • Science Kit & Boreal Labs  Irradiated Seed Germination Lab Kit
  • NOTE: Irradiation, the process of treating something with radiation, is used many ways in agriculture, industry and medicine.

 
 
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Web page updated December 2003
Web master, Mr. R.