Isotope Card
Isotope Card
You have found a
Beanium-12 atom!
You have found a
Beanium-12 atom!
Isotope Card
Isotope Card
You have found a
Beanium-13 atom!
You have found a
Beanium-13 atom!
Isotope Card
Isotope Card
You have found a
Beanium-14 atom!
You have found a
Beanium-14 atom!
Isotope Card
Isotope Card
You have found a
Beanium-15 atom!
You have found a
Beanium-15 atom!
Isotope Card
Isotope Card
You have found a
Beanium-16 atom!
You have found a
Beanium-16 atom!
Decay Card
Your atom undergoes Alpha
Decay. Remove two protons
and two neutrons to form an
alpha particle.
Decay Card
Your atom undergoes Alpha
Decay. Remove two protons
and two neutrons to form an
alpha particle.
Decay Card
Decay Card
Your atom undergoes Beta
Decay. Remove one neutron
and take it to your teacher,
who will give you new particles.
Your atom undergoes Beta
Decay. Remove one neutron
and take it to your teacher,
who will give you new particles.
Decay Card
Decay Card
Your atom undergoes Gamma
Decay. Only energy is
released. There is no change
to the nucleus.
Your atom undergoes Gamma
Decay. Only energy is
released. There is no change
to the nucleus.
Decay Card
Decay Card
Your atom undergoes Fission
to form Carbon-11 and a
Hydrogen isotope.
Your atom undergoes Fission
to form Boron-10 and a Helium
isotope.
Decay Card
Decay Card
Your atom undergoes Fission
to form Lithium-7 and a
Beryllium isotope.
Your atom undergoes Alpha
Decay. Remove two protons
and two neutrons to form an
alpha particle.
Set-Up & Game Instructions: Symbol for Beanium = 7Bn
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Students play in pairs with one set of cards. 10 blue Isotope cards & 10 green decay cards. (+
additional 4 Fusion cards & 6 more decay cards if desired). May add additional decay cards to
extend each round if desired. GREEN cards should be shuffled randomly. BLUE cards should be
separated into 2 sets – 1 for each player- containing randomly shuffled Beanium-12, 13, 14 ,15
16 so that each player has opportunity to build each isotope once. (Another option is to print
the blue cards on 2 different shades of blue to make this easier to keep sorted).
Beanium has 7 protons and 7 electrons. To determine the number of neutrons, a player will first
need to draw a blue card to indicate which isotope to build.
Each particle is represented by a different type “bean” (beans or other small manipulative) for
example:
o black beans = protons,
o white beans = neutrons,
o corn kernel = electrons &
o tiny seed (or mini macaroni) = photon (gamma radiation).
Each player has a paper plate to keep the beans, etc from scattering. The plate represents the
atom.
Round 1:
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Player A draws a BLUE card and builds the Isotope of Beanium indicated.
o EXAMPLE: a Beanium-15 card is drawn. Student puts 7 black beans, 8 white beans and 7
corn kernels on the plate & shows it to partner to check if correct.
o Player B records the isotope symbol on his/her data sheet for Isotope 1.
Player B draws a BLUE card and builds the corresponding isotope & shows to partner, then
records the appropriate symbol on data sheet for Isotope 1.
Player A now draws a green Decay card and follows instructions & shows to Player B to check.
Then record decay equation on data sheet. Make sure mass is conserved in the equation by
showing all particles, including any energy released as a photon (Gamma).
Player B draws a green decay card and follows instructions, sows to Player A and records the
decay equation on data sheet for Isotope 1. This ends Round 1.
Play 5 or more rounds (if no fusion cards) so each player has a chance to build each isotope and
try each type of decay or other process. If there are fusion cards in the deck, play enough
rounds for each player to have each isotope AND demonstrate each type of nuclear process.
Shuffle cards if you run out before completing play.
MODIFCATION: Add Fusion decay cards and provide extra “beans” accordingly. You may also want to
include extra decay cards and have players stop when their atom decays to Beanium-12 or else to a
lighter element resulting from Fission or alpha decay.
Beanium Card Game Nuclear Processes Review Activity
Set Up & Instructions:
A new element called “Beanium, (Bn)” has been discovered. This element has 7 protons and several
isotopes with various numbers of neutrons. The isotopes discovered so far are Beanium-12, Beanium13, Beanium-14, Beanium-15, and Beanium-16. All of these Beanium isotopes are radioactive. The
symbol for Beanium has been written as Bn.
You will use a deck of cards with a partner to practice writing equations for various nuclear processes,
including Fission and Fusion.
Set-Up:
You and your partner should have the following cards:
Blue Cards
2 Beanium-12
2 Beanium-13
2 Beanium-14
2 Beanium-15
2 Beaninum-16
(Each player should have one of
each, shuffle before playing)
Green Cards
6 Alpha decay
4 Beta decay
3 Gamma decay
3 Fission
4 Fusion
(1 common set, shuffle before
playing)
Other
 Each player should have a
paper plate.
 Each player should have a
blank data sheet
 Each pair of players needs
a bag of black beans,
white beans, and corn
kernels and a bag of either
small seed or some
macaroni shells
Playing the Game:
Round 1:
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Player A draws a BLUE card and builds the Isotope of Beanium indicated.
o EXAMPLE: a Beanium-15 card is drawn. Student puts 7 black beans, 8 white beans and 7
corn kernels on the plate & shows it to partner to check if correct.
o Player A records the isotope symbol on his/her data sheet for Isotope 1.
Player B draws a BLUE card and builds the corresponding isotope & shows to partner, then
records the appropriate symbol on data sheet for Isotope 1.
Player A now draws a green Decay card and follows instructions & shows to Player B to check.
Then record decay equation on data sheet. Make sure mass is conserved in the equation by
showing all particles, including any energy released as a photon (Gamma).
Player B draws a green decay card and follows instructions, shows to Player A and records the
decay equation on data sheet for Isotope 1. This ends Round 1.
Play 5 or more rounds (if no fusion cards) so each player has a chance to build each isotope and
try each type of decay or other process. If there are fusion cards in the deck, play enough
rounds for each player to have each isotope AND demonstrate each type of nuclear process.
Shuffle cards if you run out before completing play.
Name _____________________________________ Partner_______________ Period _____________
DATA SHEET
Write an Equation for the Nuclear Process each of your isotopes undergoes:
Example Trial
Type of Decay:
Sketch:
Alpha
Equation:
Trial 1
Type of Decay:
Sketch:
Equation:
Trial 2
Type of Decay:
Sketch:
Equation:
Trial 3
Type of Decay:
Sketch:
Equation:
Trial 4
Type of Decay:
Sketch:
Equation:
Trial 5
Type of Decay:
Sketch:
Equation:
Trial 6
Type of Decay:
Sketch:
Equation:
Trial 7
Type of Decay:
Sketch:
Equation:
Trial 8
Type of Decay:
Sketch:
Equation:
Trial 9
Type of Decay:
Sketch:
Equation:
Trial 10
Type of Decay:
Sketch:
Equation:
Decay Card
Your atom undergoes Alpha
Decay. Remove two protons
and two neutrons to form an
alpha particle.
Decay Card
Your atom undergoes Alpha
Decay. Remove two protons
and two neutrons to form an
alpha particle.
Decay Card
Decay Card
Your atom undergoes Beta
Decay. Remove one neutron
and take it to your teacher,
who will give you new particles.
Your atom undergoes Beta
Decay. Remove one neutron
and take it to your teacher,
who will give you new particles.
Decay Card
Decay Card
Your atom undergoes Gamma
Decay. Only energy is
released. There is no change
to the nucleus.
Your atom undergoes Gamma
Decay. Only energy is
released. There is no change
to the nucleus.
Fusion Card
Fusion Card
Your atom undergoes Fusion with
a Helium atom to form an unstable
isotope. Build the correct isotope
and draw another decay card. (If the
Your atom undergoes Fusion with
your partner’s Beanium atom to
form an unstable isotope. Build the
correct isotope and draw another
decay card. (If the new card is Fission,
new card is Fission, discard it and draw again).
discard it and draw again).
Fusion Card
Your atom undergoes Fusion with
a Helium atom to form an unstable
isotope. Build the correct isotope
and draw another decay card. (If the
new card is Fission, discard it and draw again).
Fusion Card
Your atom undergoes Fusion with
an identical Beanium atom to form
an unstable isotope. Build the
correct isotope and draw another
decay card. (If the new card is Fission,
discard it and draw again).
Print on green construction paper