How scientists study things too small to see

Overview

Students discuss measurements in daily life and the differences among estimation, accuracy, and precision. At measurement stations they choose appropriately scaled tools and units and calculate the uncertainty of a single measurement. Groups then map the hidden maze inside a sealed black box using sound and movement. In the Elaborate phase, they watch videos on atoms and build a mini-Rutherford model, rolling marbles or ping pong balls to deduce the shape of a concealed object, analogous to alpha scattering. Teams finish with a curated poster answering how scientists study things too small to see, shared in a cafe-style presentation.

Lesson Objectives

• Use mathematics and computational thinking to identify the most precise tool of measurement and take accurate measurements
• Investigate the scale of atoms and their subatomic particles (scale, proportion, and quantity)
• Use quantitative thinking and evidence from a model to explain how scientists can know the structure of items that are too small to see or directly measure.
• Plan and Carry out investigation to identify how scientists specifically learned about the subatomic particles that make up the nucleus.
• Analyze and interpret data as they construct explanations and communicate information to others about the models they created and the process of learning measurable information about things we are not able to see.