Particle Collider Simulator
Classroom worksheet · Interactive simulation: https://lkforge.com/tools/physics/particle-collider/
Name: Date:
Learning objectives
- Apply conservation of energy and momentum to collisions.
- Explain how new particles are created from collision energy.
- Connect kinetic energy to mass via E = mc².
Variables to change
- Collision energy
- Particle types
- Beam configuration
Procedure
- Collide particles at low energy and observe the products.
- Increase the collision energy and observe heavier products appear.
- Compare head-on collisions with fixed-target collisions.
Observations
Record what products appear as collision energy increases.
Questions
- What is conserved in every collision?
- Where do new, heavier particles come from?
- Why do physicists build higher-energy colliders?
- Why are head-on collisions preferred over fixed targets?
- What does E = mc² tell us here?
Answer key (instructors)
- 1. Total energy and total momentum (and charge and other quantum numbers).
- 2. From the collision’s kinetic energy, converted to mass via E = mc².
- 3. Higher energy can create more massive particles, probing new physics.
- 4. They put more energy into creating particles rather than into the motion of the products.
- 5. Mass and energy are interconvertible, so energy can become new matter and vice versa.
In a collider, particles smash together conserving energy and momentum. Their kinetic energy can convert into mass (E = mc²), creating heavier particles — so higher collision energies, especially head-on, reveal more massive and exotic particles.