National Museum of Nuclear Science & HistoryHalf-Life Activity
This activity compliments the teacher’s lesson on half-lives of radioisotopes.
Intermediate
Intermediate
Prisoner's Dilemma and Deterrence Activity
This activity complements the teacher’s lesson on deterrence and nuclear weapons during the Cold War. Students will learn the logic behind deterrence theory and Mutually Assured Destruction. In the advanced version, students will look closer at today’s U.S. deterrence strategy.
Terms Learned: game theory, Prisoner’s Dilemma, Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD), deterrence, deterrence by force, deterrence by denial, deterrence by force, Nuclear Triad, extended deterrence
Secondary Terms: rational actor, second-strike capabilities
Atomic Culture
Students explore various aspects of atomic culture and create their own artifact.
Living with the Bomb
Students will research the bomb and design a poster-board that explores the geopolitical context of dropping the bomb as well as its tragic effects.
The Arms Race
Students read "The Butter Battle Book" to examine more complicated themes of nuclear weaponry.
Effects of the Bomb
Students engage with primary resources to form opinions on the decision to drop the bomb.
Deciding to Use the Bomb
Students write a chapter in a documentary based on primary resources.
Government and the Bomb
Students read Einstein's letter to President Roosevelt, and draft their own response from Roosevelt, in order to understand the cooperation between scientists and the government during the Manhattan Project.
Life at Los Alamos
Students will read and listen to firsthand accounts from the different Manhattan Project sites and then write a fictionalized personal narrative about the experience of working on the Manhattan Project.
Leading the Manhattan Project
Students will use a short documentary on J. Robert Oppenheimer to begin a discussion on Oppenheimer and his role as a leader in the Manhattan Project.
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