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Name__________________________________ Develop a model based on evidence to illustrate the life span of the sun and the role of nuclear fusion in the sun’s core to release energy in the form of radiation. Background: The Sun is a star, right? And scientists believe that the Sun is about 5 billion years old, based on measurements they have taken regarding the fusion going on in the center of the sun. What is fusion? It is the fuel that provides the Sun (or any star) with the light and radiation to shine brightly. In some stars, like our Sun, hydrogen nuclei (plural for nucleus—the center part of atoms) join together to make helium nuclei. This produces a HUGE amount of energy that is sent out as light and heat into the solar system. Stars have a life cycle, just like humans. We think our star, the Sun, will live for about 10 billion years before it runs out of fuel and changes to a different type of star. If scientists believe that our Sun is 5 billion years old, that means the Sun is middle aged: halfway through its life cycle. Depending on the size of the star, it will go through different stages as it nears the end of its life cycle. YOUR JOB IS TO INVESTIGATE (RESEARCH) A STAR AND DETERMINE WHAT HAPPENS TO IT DURING ITS LIFE CYCLE. You will roll a dice, and the number you get on the dice will determine which star you get: If you get a 1 or a 6: A star the size of our Sun If you get a 2 or a 5: A star a little bigger than the size of our Sun—a “medium” sized star If you get a 3 or a 4: A “HUGE” star-much bigger than the size of our Sun Turn the page over You will need to develop a MODEL that tells us about your star’s life cycle, from birth until death…and what is going on in that star’s core regarding the nuclear fusion (WHAT kind of atoms are combining to make WHAT). What is a model? mod·el noun a three-dimensional representation of a person or thing or of a proposed structure, typically on a smaller scale than the original. It can be a 3D model (however…no more mobiles. If you make it 3D, make it so that it doesn’t have to hang). It can be pictures that you draw or find online that you cut out and paste to a posterboard, with some facts that you provide. You could even use human models: make signs that you can have people hold up and you put them in the correct order. It can be a PREZI or youtube video that you make about the life cycle of your star. YOU GET TO CHOOSE HOW YOU MODEL THIS STAR’S LIFE CYCLE FOR US! Some websites that might help you, if you’d rather use websites than your text: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzE7VZMT1z8 http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/stars/lifecycle/ http://www.telescope.org/pparc/res8.html http://www.schoolsobservatory.org.uk/astro/stars/lifecycle http://www.astro.keele.ac.uk/workx/starlife/StarpageS_26M.html