Lawrencium

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

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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/lawrencium

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 Lawrencium?Contested between Soviet and American research groups
2. What is the atomic number?103
3. What is the element symbol?Lr
4. How do scientists make lawrencium?Scientists create lawrencium by smashing lighter atoms with high‑speed ions in a particle accelerator. This process produces tiny amounts of the element that scientists study quickly because it is unstable.
5. Why is lawrencium called "lawrencium"?The element was named after Ernest Lawrence, the inventor of the cyclotron, to honor his important work in particle physics.

Actinide Series: A series of 15 metallic elements with atomic numbers 89 through 103, characterized by the filling of the 5f electron subshell.
Transuranium Element: Elements with atomic numbers greater than 92 (uranium), synthesized artificially and generally radioactive.
Particle Accelerator: A device that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to very high speeds and energies for research.
Half-life: The time it takes for half of the radioactive atoms in a sample to undergo radioactive decay.