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9th grade How stars make the elements worksheet

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

Level: Building Confidence · On Level · Challenge Me

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How stars make the elements

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    Where elements were mainly made (NASA)

    ElementAtomic numberMain origin
    hydrogen1Big Bang
    helium2Big Bang
    carbon6star cores
    oxygen8star cores
    iron26massive stars and their supernovas
    gold79neutron-star collisions

  2. Where did most of the hydrogen atoms in a glass of water come from, by Ari's reading (NASA)?

    • The Big Bang
    • A supernova, like gold
    • Fusion in the Sun's core
    • Earth's core long ago

  3. Where was most of the carbon in living things made, by Bo's reading (NASA)?

    • Inside stars, by fusing helium
    • By splitting heavier atoms into carbon
    • In the Big Bang
    • In Earth's crust

  4. Where does NASA say much of the universe's gold may have been made, by Kira's reading?

    • In the Sun's core
    • In Earth's core
    • In collisions of neutron stars
    • In the Big Bang

  5. According to the strip, where was iron (26) mainly made, by Jun's reading?

    • In the Big Bang
    • On Earth
    • In massive stars and their supernovas
    • In stars like the Sun

  6. Which element on the strip was made mainly in the Big Bang, by Luz's reading?

    • Gold
    • Iron
    • Helium
    • Carbon

  7. In a star's core, helium fuses into which element next, by Noah's reading (NASA)?

    • Hydrogen
    • Iron, straight away
    • Gold
    • Carbon

  8. Hydrogen, helium, carbon, oxygen, neon, magnesium, silicon, blank. Which element is the last one a massive star's core fuses up to, by Pia's reading (NASA)?

    • Carbon
    • Gold
    • Uranium
    • Iron

  9. Drawing of two small nuclei and one larger nucleus, with an arrow between them. What does fusion in stars do to atomic nuclei, by Ren's reading?

    • Turns nuclei into electrons
    • Joins lighter nuclei into heavier ones
    • Splits heavy nuclei apart into lighter ones
    • Melts nuclei into a liquid

  10. NASA says Big Bang element-making had mostly finished after a few minutes. How long did it last, by Zee's reading?

    • It is still going on
    • A few billion years
    • A few minutes
    • About one day

  11. Most atoms just after the Big Bang were which element, by Esme's reading (NASA)?

    • Hydrogen
    • Carbon
    • Iron
    • Helium
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9th grade How stars make the elements worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

How stars make the elements. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can say where an element was mainly made: the Big Bang, star cores, supernovas or neutron-star collisions.
  • I can climb the fusion ladder by adding atomic numbers and explain why star cores stop at iron.
  • I can trace an atom in my body or a rock back to its origin, and judge the evidence for it.

Standard: HS-ESS1-3

Words to know

nucleosynthesis: The making of new atomic nuclei

atomic number: The number of protons in a nucleus

fusion ladder: The order in which a star's core fuses elements, up to iron

kilonova: The glow from colliding neutron stars, where heavy elements form

supernova remnant: The expanding cloud a supernova leaves

Common mistakes

Your child thought the Big Bang made every element. It made hydrogen, helium and a little lithium; stars and star explosions made the rest (NASA).

Your child thought Sun-like stars make heavy elements. Sun-like stars fuse up to about carbon; massive stars reach iron; heavier elements come from supernovas and neutron-star collisions.

Your child thought fusion keeps going past iron. NASA: fusing iron takes in energy, so star cores stop there; heavier elements form in explosions and collisions.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with how stars make the elements?

Your child thought the Big Bang made every element. It made hydrogen, helium and a little lithium; stars and star explosions made the rest (NASA).

Are these 9th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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