About Build a Nucleus
How does changing the number of neutrons or protons affect the nuclear species, the stability of a nucleus, and its possible decay mechanisms? Explore different species, and learn about the common decay paths! Visualize these through the chart of the nuclides and discover the inner energy levels of the nucleus.
How to play Build a Nucleus
Everything is hands-on: drag, click and experiment — the simulation reacts instantly. How does changing the number of neutrons or protons affect the nuclear species, the stability of a nucleus, and its possible decay mechanisms?
Questions & answers
- What is Build a Nucleus?
- Build a Nucleus is a free interactive simulation from PhET Interactive Simulations (University of Colorado Boulder) that you can play right in your browser on crumble.lol — no downloads and no sign-up. How does changing the number of neutrons or protons affect the nuclear species, the stability of a nucleus, and its possible decay mechanisms? Explore different species, and learn about the common decay paths!
- What can kids learn from Build a Nucleus?
- It helps kids explore: explain how changing the number of neutrons or protons affects the atomic number and isotope species. describe how different decays will change the nucleons in the nucleus and if that changes the symbol of the atom being shown and affects parameters like atomic number/atomic mass. predict the shell model depiction of an isotope based on the isotope symbol or name. find the isotope on the nuclide chart using the symbol, name, or the number of protons and neutrons. predict the resulting isotope and the decay path of an isotope from its position on the nuclide chart.
- What age is Build a Nucleus good for?
- It is designed for high school up to university, and curious kids outside that range can absolutely enjoy poking around it too.
- Is Build a Nucleus free to play?
- Yes — Build a Nucleus is completely free on crumble.lol and runs fully in your browser on computers and tablets.