Lesson Plan: The Conservation of Lepton Number Physics
This lesson plan includes the objectives, prerequisites, and exclusions of the lesson teaching students how to determine the total lepton number of a set of particles and apply the conservation of lepton number to given interactions.
Objectives
Students will be able to
- recall the lepton number of all six leptons and all six antileptons,
- recall that all of the particles that are not leptons have a lepton number of zero,
- determine what the total lepton number of a set of leptons is before or after an interaction,
- recall that interactions that violate the lepton number are not possible—the lepton number is conserved through all electromagnetic and weak interactions,
- determine whether an interaction is possible or not based on whether it conserves the lepton number.
Prerequisites
Students should already be familiar with
- the names, basic properties, and symbols for all of the leptons and antileptons,
- solving simple nuclear equations of beta decay.
Exclusions
Students will not cover
- lepton flavor numbers,
- neutrino oscillations,
- quarks,
- the strong nuclear force and strong decays,
- supersymmetry,
- possible fourth neutrinos—the sterile neutrino,
- the baryon number.
