 | Cosmic Ray Detector When high energy radiation strikes the Earth from space, it’s called cosmic rays. To be accurate, a cosmic ray is not like a ray of sunshine, but rather is a super-fast particle slinging through space. Think of throwing a grain of sand at a 100 mph… and that’s what we call a ‘cosmic ray’. |
 | Nuclear Reactions & Radioactive Decay If you think about it, the nucleus of an atom (proton and neutron) really have no reason to stick together. The neutron doesn't have a charge, and the proton has a positive charge. And most nuclei have more than one proton, and positive-positive charges repel (think of trying to force two North sides of a magnet together). So what keeps the core together? |
 | Quantum Mechanics: Double Slit Experiment This stuff is definitely sci-fi weird, and probably not appropriate for younger grades (although we did have a seven year old reiterate in his own words this exact phenomenon to a physics professor, so hey... anything possible! Which is why we've included it here.) |
 | Alpha Particle Detector Here is another way to detect cosmic rays, only this time you'll actually see the thin, threadlike vapor trails appear and disappear. These cobwebby trails are left by the particles within minutes of creating the detector. (Be sure to complete the Cosmic Ray Detector first!) |