| Here at Fermilab, there are several different accelerators that the particles pass through before reaching the large circular accelerator known as the Tevatron. One of the intermediate accelerators is known as the linear accelerator (or linac) because it pushes the particle forward in a straight line. This activity allows the student to play the role of the physicist in setting up the linear accelerator to give the particle the greatest possible acceleration. The linac is essentially a very long tube-like chamber that has an alternating electric field. The alternation operates like a sine-wave, and is represented by arrow in the activity. The student is supposed to set up the shielding tubes to shield the particle when the force of the electric field would slow it down. They can view the data from their trials by clicking on "Show Data", but they must save it first by clicking on "Save Data". There is an introduction that takes them through the entire concept of the linac and the way it works so that they are prepared before diving into their roles as physicist. |
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ScoringStudents play for Einstein bucks and receive a certificate indicating their score for the teacher. In this activity, the student does not receive points simply for running trials; the points are based on how well he does. (In the activity they are referred to simply as "points" since the student has not been introduced to the concept of the Einstein buck) If they correctly answer the multiple-choice question, they earn 250 bucks, and if they fill out the free-response section, they earn an additional 500 Einstein bucks. The student is also rewarded up to 1000 additional Einstein bucks based on the greatest final velocity he achieved in the activity. Thus, before leaving the activity, he can earn up to 1750 Einstein bucks. Doubling Your BucksOnce they complete the activity, the student is given the opportunity to double his score. If he chooses to do so, he is given a question that relates the activity to Fermilab. If the question is correctly answered, then the student's Einstein bucks are doubled. If the answer is incorrect, there is no penalty, but there is a note on the certificate stating that the student did not double his bucks. After doubling the score, the maximum 3300 points. Printing Your Bucks and CertificateTwo windows are open when students go to print their bucks:
To print the Certificate and Einstein bucks, they need to select the window with the Certificate and select Print under the File menu of their browser. They should cut off the Einstein bucks and give the teacher the certificate so she can record their progress. |
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