Data Activities Portfolio

The Data Portfolio is a compendium of particle physics classroom activities organized by Data Strand, Level of student engagement, Curriculum Topics and NGSS Standards. Follow the links provided for information about using the Data Portfolio to plan your students’ experience. Level descriptions explain the data analysis skills that students apply at each level: tasks in Level 0 are simpler than those in Levels 1 and 2...

Activity Name Data Strand Level Curriculum Topics NGSS Practices
quad-350 Making it ‘Round the Bend - Quantitative

Students measure the effects of electric and magnetic fields on particles. 

LHC Level 2 Electricity & Magnetism, Instrumentation, Skill: Developing Models, Skill: Graphing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
minerva Mean Lifetime Part 3: MINERvA

Students collect data from muons which decay in the MINERvA detector in the Fermilab NuMi beamline to understand particle decay and determine the muon lifetime.

Cosmic Ray, Neutrino Level 2 Half-Life/Mean Lifetime, Kinematics, Nature of Matter, Skill: Developing Models, Skill: Histograms, Skill: Uncertainty 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8
cms data express CMS Data Express

CMS Data Express is a short investigation in which students inspect and characterize W or Z events from the LHC.

LHC Level 2 Conservation Laws, Nature of Matter, Skill: Developing Models, Skill: Histograms, Skill: Uncertainty 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
atlaseming ATLAS Data Express

ATLAS Data Express is a short investigation in which students inspect and characterize Z events in the LHC and distinguish muons from electrons.

LHC Level 2 Conservation Laws, Instrumentation, Nature of Matter, Skill: Developing Models, Skill: Histograms, Skill: Uncertainty 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
totem TOTEM 2

Use quantum physics and LHC data to estimate the size of the proton.

LHC Level 2 Instrumentation, Kinematics, Nature of Matter, Quantum Mechanics, Skill: Developing Models, Skill: Histograms, Skill: Uncertainty, Waves & Interference 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
top-350 Calculate the Top Quark Mass

Students use conservation laws and vector addition to calculate the top mass from event displays.

Cosmic Ray, LHC Level 2 Conservation Laws, Spanish Language, Special Relativity, Standard Model, Skill: Uncertainty 1, 4, 5, 7
zmass-icon Calculate the Z Mass

Students use conservation laws and vector addition to calculate the Z mass from event displays.

LHC Level 2 Conservation Laws, Nature of Matter, Spanish Language, Special Relativity, Standard Model, Skill: Developing Models, Skill: Uncertainty 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
zmass-icon Z Mass Spreadsheet Extension

Students use spreadsheet coding to determine the Z Mass for a large data set.

LHC Level 2 Conservation Laws, Nature of Matter, Skill: Coding, Skill: Histograms, Special Relativity, Standard Model 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
mltplotlet Mean Lifetime Part 2: Cosmic Muons

Students learn how physicists measure muon lifetime.

Cosmic Ray Level 2 Half-Life/Mean Lifetime, Nature of Matter, Skill: Histograms, Skill: Uncertainty, Spanish Language, Special Relativity 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8
detector Cosmic Ray e-Lab

Students experience the excitement of scientific collaboration in this series of investigations into high-energy cosmic rays.

Cosmic Ray Level 3 Instrumentation, Nature of Matter, Skill: Developing Models, Skill: Histograms, Skill: Uncertainty 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8