Day 130: Particle Physics Masterclass at Fermilab!

Today, AP Physics 2 students ventured to Fermilab for the Particle Physics Masterclass! We decided to do the CMS J/Ψ particle Masterclass because event analysis is a good review of charged particles in magnetic fields and the resulting mass plot turns out really well.

The day started with an introduction from two Fermilab physicists and then students broken into pairs to analyze events from CMS. We had some wifi issues; so, we took over the cafeteria where there was better cell reception to create individual hotspots.

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Just before lunch, we aggregated our data and produced the mass plot.

J/Psi Mass Plot from 2015 Fermilab Masterclass

Woohoo! We found the J/Ψ!

After lunch, we broken into smaller groups for tours of various parts of Fermilab. Next year, we’ll shorten lunch so we have more time for the tour.

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One thought on “Day 130: Particle Physics Masterclass at Fermilab!”

  1. Your kids are so lucky to have you and to have this opportunity. I have no idea what J/Psi is. But I imagine being able to learn about particle physics in a rich environment like Fermilab… in high school… is the chance of a lifetime. So awesome that you did this for the kids.

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