Data Activities Portfolio
The Data Portfolio is a compendium of particle physics classroom activities organized by data strand and level of student engagement. 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. While each level can be explored individually, students who start in one level and progress to more complex levels experience increasingly engaging and challenging tasks. These activities are aligned with NGSS Standards, particularly NGSS Practices.
Your students can follow a path through activities in a data strand to better understand practices that lead to discovery. Each pathway provides connections between topics routinely covered in physics class and particle physics content and methods. Use the pulldown menus (Curriculum Topics and Strand) to find activities related to the content you are currently covering. Watch this screencast to learn more about sorting these activities.
| Activity Name | Data Strand | Level | Curriculum Topics | NGSS Practices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 CMS Data ExpressCMS 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 | 4, 5, 8 |
 TOTEM Data ExpressUse 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 | 4, 5, 8 |
 ATLAS Z-path MasterclassStudents are physicists for a day at a university or lab where they work with physiists to how to analyze real particle physics data in the form of event displays.
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LHC | Level 2 | Conservation Laws, Nature of Matter, Skill: Histograms, Skill: Uncertainty | 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 |
 Mean Lifetime Part 2: Cosmic MuonsStudents learn how physicists measure muon lifetime. |
Cosmic Ray | Level 2 | Half-Life/Mean Lifetime, Nature of Matter, Special Relativity, Skill: Histograms, Skill: Uncertainty | 2, 3, 4, 5 |
 ATLAS Data ExpressATLAS 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 | 4, 5, 8 |
 ATLAS W-path MasterclassStudents are physicists for a day at a university or lab where they work with physicists to how to analyze real particle physics data in the form of event displays. |
LHC | Level 2 | Conservation Laws, Nature of Matter, Skill: Histograms, Skill: Uncertainty | 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 |
 CMS Masterclass J/PsiStudents are physicists for a day at a university or lab where they work with physicists to learn how to analyze real particle physics data in the form of event displays. |
LHC | Level 2 | Conservation Laws, Nature of Matter, Skill: Histograms, Skill: Uncertainty | 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 |
 Making it ‘Round the Bend - QuantitativeStudents measure the effects of electric and magnetic fields on particles. |
LHC | Level 2 | Electricity & Magnetism, Instrumentation, Skill: Developing Models, Skill: Graphing | 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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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: Histograms, Skill: Uncertainty | 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 |
 CMS Masterclass WZH-pathStudents are physicists for a day at a university or lab where they work with physicists to learn how to analyze real particle physics data in the form of event displays. |
LHC | Level 2 | Conservation Laws, Nature of Matter, Skill: Histograms, Skill: Uncertainty | 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 |