TEACHING ABOUT ATOMS,
NUCLEI, AND ISOTOPES
USING BOZAGGA BALLS
Wilson J. Gonzalez-Espada
Department of Math, Computer Science and Physics
Morehead State University

 Fun, playful
 Colorful
 Interactive
 Real-life applications
 Economical
 Curiosity
 Conceptual
 Non-threatening

 To what extent an instructor-made, guided inquiry activity that incorporates a classical
“toy physics” approach and the use of internet research, resulted in learning about atomic scale, nuclear scale, and isotopes?
 What can we learn from this exercise?

 “Super bouncy Bozagga balls will bounce every which way with their knobby design.
Great way to keep kids (and adults) entertained!”
 Can be found as “brand name” or “generic.”

 Imagine that the ball represents a stable nucleus. What chemical element is it? How do you know?
 Imagine that the ball represents a radioactive nucleus. What chemical elements could it be?
How do you know?
 If a nucleus is the size of this ball, what should be the diameter of the corresponding atom?
Find the lower and higher boundaries, and calculate the average. Consult at least four reliable references (online or in print).

 13 pre-service students enrolled in SCI 111, a science course for K-8 teachers.
 Participants completed a unit on “Scientific
Methods” and “Measurement” at the beginning of the semester.
 Participants recently completed a unit on
“The Atom”, which included topics like history of atom models; atomic and mass number, isotopes, and radioactivity.
 3 students did not submit homework.

 Imagine that the ball represents a stable nucleus. What chemical element is it? How do you know?
 9/10 students answered “carbon.”
 1/10 students answered “magnesium”.

 Imagine that the ball represents a radioactive nucleus. What chemical elements could it be?
How do you know?



𝟏𝟐
𝟖
𝐎 ,
𝟏𝟐
𝟖
𝟏𝟐
𝟓
𝐎 ,
𝐁,
𝟏𝟐
𝟕
𝟏𝟐
𝟕
𝐍,
𝐍,
𝟏𝟐
𝟒
𝐁𝐞,
𝟏𝟐
𝟓
𝐁,
𝟏𝟐
𝟓
𝐁,
𝟏𝟐
𝟒
𝐁𝐞,
𝟏𝟐
𝟑
𝐋𝐢, 2 students
𝟏𝟐
𝟒
𝐁𝐞 , 1 student
𝟏𝟐
𝟑
𝐋𝐢, 1 student
 6 incorrect answers.

 If a nucleus is the size of this ball, what should be the diameter of the corresponding atom?
 Only 2 students reported lower and higher boundaries and calculated an average.
 Most common response (n = 6) used an approximation (1/8000, 1/10000, 1/18000,
1/100,000*) for the diameter of a generic nucleus or atom.
 None of the students found an approximate value for the diameter of a carbon atom.

 What is the "ball scale" size of the atom?

 50% of submissions were within 1/3x - 3x from my best answer.
 Many participants could not analyze the class content to identify relevant concepts that could be used for internet research.
 Many participants could not find multiples values for nucleus or atom diameter to calculate best value and uncertainty.
 This was the only guided inquiry homework of the semester.

 How many guided inquiry tasks students should complete in a semester? Will practice makes perfect? Will grades be affected?
 For a guided inquiry task, how much detail do we give students ?