FIRST QUARTER

LESSON 1
FORMATION OF ELEMENTS IN THE BIG BANG THEORY AND
STELLAR EVOLUTION

Overview:
Everything in the Universe originated from something. Even the large, complex
materials came from small components. This module will let you learn about the Big
Bang Theory and how elements were formed.

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this lesson, the students can:
explain and give evidence for the formation of light elements in the Big Bang Theory;
describe and give evidence for the formation of heavier elements during star formation
and evolution; and
Write the nuclear fusion reactions in stars, which led to the formation of new elements.

Materials Needed:
PowerPoint Presentation/Video Lesson

Duration: 4 hours

Learning Content:
Nuclear Reactions
Everything around us is matter, which is composed of varying combination of any
of the 114 elements identified to be present in the universe, including Earth.
Before dealing with the details of element formation, it is essential to familiarize
the symbols of the different particles involved in nuclear reactions. Nuclear Reactions
are processes in which a nucleus either combine with another nucleus to form heavier
nucleus (nuclear fusion) or splits into smaller nuclei (nuclear fission). These processes
involve the emission of energetic particles of an atom, a phenomenon known as
radioactivity. Radioactive particles may be elements, electron, proton, neutron, alpha
particle (high speed particle consisting of 2 protons and 2 neutrons), Beta particle (high-
speed electron), gamma ray (high-energy stream of photons), positron (positive-
charged electron).
The following are the most common types of nuclear reactions along with
illustrative examples.
Alpha decay: loss of an alpha particle
Alpha decay of polonium-210 +
Beta decay: Loss of a beta particle ( )
Beta decay of Carbon-14 +
Gamma radiation: emission of gamma ray ()
Gamma radiation in alpha decay of Uranium-238
+ (alpha decay)
+ (gamma radiation)

Positron emission: conversion of proton in a nucleus into a neutron, along with the
release of a positron ( )

Positron emission of oxygen – 15 +

Electron capture: drawing of an electron ( ) into an atom’s nucleus

Electron capture of mercury-201 +

Formation of Light elements: Big Bang Nucleosynthesis

The existence of all matter all matter is believed to have started with the birth of
the universe. The most widely accepted explanation to the origin of the Universe is the
Big Bang Theory. This theory states that the universe developed 13.7 billion years ago