The Higgs Boson (EN)

Goals

• The students acquire insight regarding the composition of molecules;
• The students acquire insight regarding the differences in complexity of molecules;
• The students are introduced to the nomenclature of compounds/molecules;
• The students learn to use the photography capability of a laptop.

Duration
In terms of preparation, this requires no time. The students can get started on their own volition.

Work form
Individually in their designated working time

Preparation and necessities
Acquire the Ein-O kit

Activity
The Ein-O kit is a kit with which allows for the physical construction of 3D molecules. The kit is equipped with instructions on how to build various molecules and allows the students to explore and build these molecules. Photos can be made of the assembled molecules for documentation purposes.

Wrapping up
The printed pictures of the assembled molecules are evaluated.

Goals

• The students gain insight into the existence of the Higgs field;
• The students gain insight as to why one particle has more mass than another.

Duration
10 minutes

Work form
Game played with the class

Preparation and necessities

• Two stacks of cards are made. One stack will be 50% larger than the other and each stack has its own designated colour;
• A space without many physical obstacles (such as a large hall)

Introduction/orientation
Explanation of what is to happen without further background information

Activity 
Two students each receive one stack of cards. The other students distribute themselves in the area. The two students deal their cards to the spread-out students, giving each student only one card at a time until all cards have been dealt. Because the stacks are not equally large, one of the dealing students will finish quicker than the other.

Wrapping up 
In a discussion, the relation between the activity and the Higgs boson is elaborated. The students that distributed themselves throughout the area are representative of many Higgs bosons. The students that need to cross sides represent other particles that physicists have observed. One question that physicists have occupied themselves with is why one particle moves more quickly and easier than a different particle. The answer is because the entire space is filled with Higgs bosons (like a room or area filled with people). As particles move throughout space, they may or may not interact strongly with the Higgs bosons (this is referred to as coupling according to physicists and is illustrated by the distribution of the cards). Light particles (few cards) are not or hardly influenced by the Higgs bosons and can almost move freely throughout the space, whereas heavy particles (many cards) are subjected to stronger interactions or influence. In this way, the reason why one particle is lighter or heavier relative to another particle can be explained.

Goals

• The students understand and can articulate why an experiment must be repeated multiple times in order to be confident about the results;
• Persistence: the students quickly realize that the deviation in the throws is due to the difference in weight of the dice. The question however is how often the dice needs to be thrown in order to confidently say what amount of pips (side of a dice) was thrown the most;
• The students learn to consistently perform a task (namely to repeatedly throw the dice in the same way);
• The students practice working together (making use of each other’s actions, coming to agreements within the group, division of tasks);
• The students learn to accurately record their observations (are the measurements recorded in a way that their meaning is clear?).

Duration 
60 minutes

Work form
Groups of four to five students

Preparation and necessities

• Forms (one per group);
• Dice (each group receives four ordinary and one weighted dice which can be found in toy stores or online);
• Cups used to throw the dice (one per group

Introduction/orientation
Each group receives five dice (of which one is heavier) and a cup with which the dice are thrown. The amount of pips thrown must be systematically tallied. The goal is to show with which value (the number of pips) something is wrong (because of the weighted dice, a certain number of pips or specific side of the dice will be thrown above average, but you won’t inform them). Before the dice are thrown, the worksheet should first be discussed and the tasks within the group assigned. For the latter, you can let the students themselves determine and assign the tasks as a group or you can inform the students what tasks need to be fulfilled: one student throws, another records the results, another controls whether the results are accurately being recorded and two children count the number of pips. Each group constructs a plan on how they intend to prove that something is wrong.

Activity
The students throw all the dice at once over the table using a cup. After each throw, the values or number of pips are tallied in the first column of the worksheet. After five attempts, the number of times each pip was thrown is recorded in the second column. Following ten attempts, the same is reiterated for the third column and so on. They repeat this process until they think they have figured out the cause of the deviation. After how many attempts do the students suspect the cause and after how many attempts are they confident about their claim?  The conclusion may only be based on the statistics of throwing the dice and not by close inspection of the dice itself (because the heavier side of the weighted dice is visibly different).

Wrapping up
Discussion of results: when and after how many throws could the students confidently claim that something was off with one of the values and what was that based on?

Relation to the Higgs boson: This exercise illustrates why particles must repeatedly be collided in the LHC before knowing for certain that the Higgs boson was indeed found. In science, in order to prove something, reproducibility of the experiment and results are vital.

Evaluation of activity: The weighted dice shows visible deviation from the normal dice. Because of this, the students often find it difficult to see the experiment through to the end, since the students already can assume which side will occur more often, despite understanding the importance of repeating an experiment. However, this very dilemma is reflective of real research: you might already know the answer to your question, but nevertheless you will have to repeat the experiment in order to confidently support your claim.

The researchers that were involved in coming up with this game show just how many times they threw the dice before they were certain of their case. This is illustrated below in the diagrams which you could present to the class.

Goals

• Acquiring knowledge about CERN and the experiments that are conducted there, the design of the area, the people who work there, etc.;
• Working on a complex theme in a playful yet educative manner;
• Reading English (including terminology about particles).

Work form
Individually and independently, the assignment is put on the weekly task.

Preparation and necessities
Hardly any preparation is necessary, because the assignments are on the website. Simply ensure that the website is accessible. Viewing the website in advance would be useful in providing an introduction to the students

Introduction/orientation
Present the website and give a brief introduction about the different possibilities. Explain what is expected from the students when filling in the logbook.

Activity
The students can individually get started with the assignments on the website. They are required to maintain a logbook regarding the amount of time they spend, what they are doing, what they have learned and which new English words they now know. The teacher patrols the class to answer any questions and gives feedback on the logbooks while reviewing the weekly task.

Wrapping up
At the end of the project, the logbooks are evaluated. How often did they do the activity, what has been recorded and learned?

Goals

• The students gain knowledge about the Higgs boson;
• The students deepen their knowledge gained through watching the Klokhuis film (see activity 1);
• The students practice their reading and comprehension of a text;
• The students practice reading aloud: intonation, pronunciation, volume;
• The students practice asking questions, sharing knowledge and engaging in discussions with each other;
• The students engage in cooperative learning;
• The students learn to make a summary;
• The students learn ‘how to learn’.

Duration
Reading and discussing the text: 45 minutes
Making the cards: 30 to 45 minutes
Learning for the test: in your own time
Taking the test: 20 minutes

Work form
Reading and discussing with the entire class
Individually making study cards
Learning the study cards both individually and together
Individually taking a test

Preparation and necessities

• The teacher copies a simple text about the Higgs boson and an accompanying assignment for each student. The chapter ‘How small is the smallest particle?’ from the Klokhuis book is an appropriate choice (see sources).
• For every student, three cards are prepared in different colours: red, blue and white.

Introduction/orientation
The text is read in class. Any questions the students may have are discussed. The teacher then asks in-depth questions to assess whether the students have understood everything. An opportunity arises to explain the knowledge, share experiences and to provide instructions. The students can also respond with one another when questions arise. The teacher encourages students to engage in discussions and allows for a certain margin of deviation from the topic.

Activity
After reading the text, the assignment for the study cards can begin. The assignment entails that each student draws up a question about the text and writes down the question and answer on opposite sides of a red study card. The students then draw an illustration that is representative of the text on the front of a white card and write on the back of the card what he or she has drawn. Next, each student pulls a difficult word from the text, writes the word on the front of a blue study card and writes the definition of the word on the back. The teacher then checks all the cards. If not approved by the teacher, the students must redo them. This activity highlights the relation with the text, the readability and the accuracy of the information. The study cards are used to study for a test about the text.

Wrapping up
After the lesson, the cards are laminated and stored in a tray, giving the students the chance to revisit them for the duration of the project. To finalize the project period, a test will be given.

Goals

• The students learn to choose what content best addresses their interest;
• The students expand their vocabulary by searching for the definitions of difficult words;
• The students practice comprehensive reading;
• The students acquire new knowledge independently.

Duration
Up to you

Work form
Individually

Preparation and necessities

• Select books about the Higgs boson and related topics such as particles, molecules and such. Place the books where the students can easily access and read through them.
• Reading logbook table

Activity
The students choose a book that appeals to them. During their independent work time, the students read their book of choice (or sections from multiple books). Any words that they are not familiar with should be looked up. If the students still struggle to understand, they should take the initiative in asking their fellow students or the teacher for assistance.

Goals

• The students acquire insight into how scientists conduct research into something that is not visible;
• The students learn to draw conclusions purely on the basis of objective observations.

Duration
30 minutes

Work form
Going round in groups

Preparation and necessities

• Place four boxes with the bottom open on skewers on a table. Between the box and the table, there should be just enough space to allow marbles to freely roll under it (see illustration);
• Place beneath each box an object in such a way that the object is no longer visible. Select objects that differ in shape and material (see the online photo sheet for examples);
• Roughly twenty marbles;
• Place the box in a tray to prevent the marbles from rolling off the table.

Introduction/orientation
The students are instructed to guess the properties of the object by colliding marbles with it. It is important to write down these properties, because their notes will be necessary to guess the object’s identity.

Activity
Each group stands by a box. The students take turns rolling a marble in the direction of the object under the box. Whether or not the marble is deflected, the direction and speed of the reflection, the sound of collision, all of these indicators say something about the object: what shape is it, is it hard or soft, is it hollow or dense, etc. After approximately ten minutes, the groups rotate over to the next box and then again every five minutes until each group has visited each box.

Wrapping up
Once the students have investigated all four (black) boxes, the teacher hangs a sheet with pictures in front of the class. Among the multiple pictures are four pictures of the objects used in the experiment. In a class discussion, the students discuss the identity of the objects under each box. The black boxes are then lifted to reveal the objects. From experience, it is rather difficult to correctly guess the objects.

At last, a link to the Higgs boson is established: this activity shows how an object and its properties can be determined without seeing the object. In exactly the same way, the first atoms were discovered in 1911 by shooting alpha particles against a photographic screen which resulted in tiny flashes of light. By positioning the atom before the photographic screen, it could be determined whether or not an atom contained a core. If a core was present, the alpha particles would be deflected and would therefore not collide against the photographic screen. As a result of alpha particles being deflected by the core of an atom, no flash of light would be generated and the screen at that position would remain dark (the Rutherford experiment). Nowadays, particles are discovered by colliding them with each other at high speeds in a particle accelerator. When particles collide, they are deflected and consequently measured by the ambient detectors.

Goals

• Going more in-depth into the topic of particles in a playful way;
• Making/depicting a particle;
• Translation of English text.

Work form
Individually

Preparation and necessities
From the particlezoo.net website, choose and print several different particles, and copy the images with the accompanying text. Discuss the assignment sheet. Gather the materials (vibrant coloured felt, needle and thread, stuffing of various weights and labels).

Introduction/orientation
Establish the relation to the Higgs boson or particles in general: the particles that the students are going to make are all present within an atom, like the Higgs boson. The students get introduced to entirely different particles which they may have come across before.

Activity
Each student receives an image of a particle. They translate the English text that accompanies the image and attempt to create the particle (see assignment sheet).

Wrapping up
Does your particle resemble that of the image? Did you fill it with the material according to the specifications?

Goals

• Processing and presentation of knowledge;
• Classroom cooperation;
• Sharing the project with the rest of the school

Duration
Rehearsal time of 3 days for a 10 minute presentation about ‘the particle zoo’.

Work form
As a class: determine script/roles/texts, rehearse and perform Individually: write text

Introduction/orientation
Distribution of roles: the students play the roles of caretakers of the particles that they made at the particle zoo. In addition, there are other roles such as cashiers/receptionists of the zoo, visitors, the professor and his or her assistance, the director of the zoo and a few technicians.

Activity
First a general script is conceived. Then the students write their own texts as caretakers of the particles. This is done on the basis of the accompanying text of the particle they made. Each student that crafted a particle writes a text about their particle.
Day 1: The students write the text for their role;
Day 2: First rehearsal and polishing of their text;
Day 3: Second rehearsal and final amendments.

Wrapping up
The play is performed to the whole school.

Goals

• The students learn to describe a problem;
• The students learn to formulate a goal;
• The students learn to think of a way to solve a problem (design problem);
• The students practice working together;
• The students practice keeping track of what is happening, what has been done and which choices were made (reporting);
• The students orientate themselves on the physical forces that emanate from the Higgs boson (gravity, leverage, pendulum motion, air pressure, magnetism,…).

Duration
The lead time for this activity encompasses 1.5 weeks; in total the students have two to three hours to spend.

Work form
Groups

Preparation and necessities

• Two or three surprise eggs per group
• Logbook sheet Eggsperiment

Introduction/orientation
Explain the assignment and establish a link with the research conducted at CERN: in CERN’s particle accelerator, protons are accelerated using magnets in a 27 km long circular pipe. The protons are fired in two, opposite directions. Once a given speed is achieved, the researchers have the two protons collide and it is at this very point that images are recorded by use of the detectors. Those images are analysed and claims are made regarding the traces that are generated as the particles fly about as a result of the collision. The students are now going to research how they can collide an accelerated surprise egg, whereby they’ll attempt to eject as many particles within the egg as possible.

Activity
The students work in groups. Together they think of how they could accelerate a surprise egg to such an extent that upon collision with another object, the wrapper, chocolate shell and the yellow plastic capsule would break, revealing the little toy inside the capsule.
There are two criteria: firstly, they are not allowed to hold the egg when it is launched, so they must find a way to put the egg in a stable launching position. Secondly, the safety of the environment and surrounding people cannot be jeopardised.

Wrapping up
The groups take turns performing their experiment; those not performing must observe. Each group then discusses what went well and what could be improved or done to further accelerate the egg.

View the various detailed research plans for the theme The Higgs boson below. You can use these as examples for in the classroom or as inspiration.

If you are going to work on a theme, it is good to read the guideline for inquiry-based learning first. Using the seven steps of inquiry-based learning, we will show you how to design a project in the classroom. In addition, you will also find tools in the guideline that help you to carry out the activities in the classroom.

• Guideline for inquiry-based learning