Igniting the Orbitron: Breakout Activity
Breakout activities are tabletop escape rooms where students solve a series of challenges in the context of an exciting scenario—a mystery to solve or a mission to complete.
In Igniting the Orbitron, students act as a team of particle accelerator engineers. They need to determine missing parameters in order to start the Orbitron, a revolutionary particle accelerator in orbit around Earth. This resource uses several different challenges (from simple to complex) to engage students with particle physics. It also draws upon student knowledge of standard physics curricula, including electric charge, conservation of momentum, and the Lorentz force.
The resource encourages effective teamwork and places emphasis on global competencies, such as collaboration, communication, and critical thinking—all used to solve the tasks, puzzles, and problems found in the challenges.
For more information about breakout activities, see the companion resource How to Use a Breakout Activity, also included in this package.