Curium

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/curium

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who discovered Curium?Berkeley, California, USA
2. What is the scientific name?Curium
3. What is the primary production method?Neutron bombardment of uranium or plutonium in nuclear reactors
4. How was curium first made?Scientists in 1944 made curium by shooting alpha particles at plutonium-239 in a cyclotron. They later found a tiny sample in Chicago. The discovery was kept secret until 1947.
5. Why do scientists use curium in space missions?Curium releases a lot of heat when it decays, and that heat can be turned into electricity with a device called an RTG. RTGs help power spacecraft when there is no sunlight.

Transuranic Element: Elements with atomic numbers greater than 92 (Uranium), typically synthesized artificially.
Actinide Series: A group of 15 radioactive metallic elements starting with actinium and ending with lawrencium.
Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG): A power system that converts heat from the decay of radioactive isotopes into electricity.
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS): An instrument used to determine the elemental composition of a surface by analyzing emitted X-rays.