The Reading / Listening - A Zeptosecond - Level 0

Scientists just measured the shortest unit of time ever. It is a zeptosecond - a trillionth of a billionth of a second. It is a decimal point followed by 20 zeros and then a 1. The scientists used special tools to measure how long it takes a photon to cross a hydrogen molecule. It took 247 zeptoseconds. This is too fast for us to see.

In 1999, a scientist measured how fast molecules change their shape. This was one femtosecond - a millionth of a billionth of one second. One millisecond is a thousandth of one second. The shortest unit of time it may be possible to measure is one Planck. This is a decimal point followed by 44 zeros and a 1.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    A Zeptosecond - Level 1,  A Zeptosecond - Level 2   or  A Zeptosecond - Level 3

Sources
  • https://interestingengineering.com/new-smallest-time-measurement-how-long-it-takes-a-photon-to-cross-a-hydrogen-molecule
  • https://www.livescience.com/zeptosecond-shortest-time-unit-measured.html
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orders_of_magnitude_(time)


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. the shortest unit
  2. a decimal
  3. followed by 20 zeros
  4. The scientists used special
  5. measure how
  6. a hydrogen
  7. It took
  8. too fast for
  1. molecule
  2. of time ever
  3. us to see
  4. and then a 1
  5. 247 zeptoseconds
  6. point
  7. long it takes
  8. tools

Paragraph 2

  1. a scientist measured how
  2. molecules change their
  3. a millionth of a billionth of
  4. One millisecond is a thousandth
  5. The shortest
  6. it may be possible
  7. a decimal
  8. followed by 44 zeros
  1. of one second
  2. to measure
  3. and a 1
  4. one second
  5. point
  6. unit of time
  7. fast
  8. shape

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Scientists (1) ___________________ shortest unit of time ever. It is a zeptosecond - (2) ___________________ a billionth of a second. It is (3) ___________________ followed by 20 zeros and then a 1. The scientists (4) ___________________ to measure how (5) ___________________ a photon to cross a hydrogen molecule. It took 247 zeptoseconds. This is (6) ___________________ us to see.

In 1999, a scientist (7) ___________________ molecules change their shape. (8) ___________________ femtosecond - a millionth of a billionth (9) ___________________. One millisecond is a thousandth of one second. The (10) ___________________ time it may be possible (11) ___________________ one Planck. This is a decimal point (12) ___________________ zeros and a 1.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Scientistsjustmeasuredtheshortestunitoftimeever.Itisazeptosecon
d-atrillionthofabillionthofasecond.Itisadecimalpointfollowedby20ze
rosandthena1.Thescientistsusedspecialtoolstomeasurehowlongitta
kesaphotontocrossahydrogenmolecule.Ittook247zeptoseconds.Thi
sistoofastforustosee.In1999,ascientistmeasuredhowfastmolecules
changetheirshape.Thiswasonefemtosecond-amillionthofabillionth
ofonesecond.Onemillisecondisathousandthofonesecond.Theshorte
stunitoftimeitmaybepossibletomeasureisonePlanck.Thisisadecimal
pointfollowedby44zerosanda1.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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