Exploratorium
Radioactive Decay Model
Toss 100 pennies (or poker chips or any other two-different-sided objects) and remove all of those displaying tails. Line them up and repeat. The lines of pennies collected get smaller each time, successfully representing half-life.
Virginia Department of Education
Radioactive Decay and Half-Life
Explain the importance of radioactive half-life as your high school biologists demonstrate the concept by performing a series of steps designed to simulate radioactive decay. Pupils use pennies to perform an experiment and gather data....
National Museum of Nuclear Science & History
Nuclear Popcorn
Make your instructional activity on radioactive decay pop with this lab exercise. Using popcorn kernels spread over a tabletop, participants pick up all of those that point toward the back of the room, that is, those that represent...
Curated OER
Radioactive Decay
Students explore what radioactive decay is and are able to relate it to the concept of half-life. They are given 100 green beads that represent radioactive atoms and 100 white beads that represent stable, non-radioactive daughter atoms....
Curated OER
Radioactive Decay
Students explore radioactive decay. Through various activities, students examine methods for permanent disposal of radioactive waste. After performing a random process experiment, students compare the results to radioactive decay. ...
Virginia Department of Education
Determining Absolute Age
How can radioactive decay help date old objects? Learners explore half-life and radioactive decay by conducting an experiment using pennies to represent atoms. Young scientists graph data from the experiment to identify radioactive decay...
Curated OER
Radioactive Decay/Half Life
Young scholars demonstrate radioactive decay using candy corns. In this Physics lesson plan, students make predictions, collect data and form conclusions about patterns in radioactive decay.
Curated OER
Get a Half-Life!: Student Worksheet
In this math/science worksheet, young scholars will work in pairs to conduct an experiment based on a decay function which is often used to model radioactive decay. Students will shake M & M's in a cup to rub off the M and then...
Curated OER
Nuclear Chemistry Homework Problem Set
In this nuclear chemistry worksheet, students evaluate data from concentration experiments on radioactive iodine. They graph the data, determine radioactive decay and half life for the element.
Curated OER
Radioactivity Experiments
Students study the difference between types of ionizing radiation and how elements are transmuted. They determine that radiation is normal and surrounds us. They calculate the amounts of alpha, beta and gamma radiation emitted from a...
Curated OER
Radioactive Half-Life
For this half-life worksheet, students determine how much of the radioactive isotopes will remain after a certain amount of time. This worksheet has 11 problems to solve.
Virginia Department of Education
Isotopes
Lead your class through the amazing world of isotopes as they investigate the various properties they contain and further understand their respective location on the periodic table. They explore half-lives and radioactivity as each...
Curated OER
Industrialization of the American Landscape
Students explore the Chernobyl incident and the resulting environmental health impacts. They explore three different isotopes that were released into the atmosphere. Through inquiry, students determine the difference between types of...
Curated OER
Radioactive Beans
Students investigate radioactive atoms. In this radioactive beans lesson, students experiment with split peas and beans to determine what happens when a radioactive atom decays.
Curated OER
Nuclear Reactions - Rutherford's Alpha Scattering Experiment
Neat! Show your physics class exactly how Ernest Rutherford fired alpha particles at a piece of gold foil and so determined that most of an atom is composed of empty space. Not just a slide show, but almost an animation, this...
Curated OER
Earth's Age: The Dating Game
Students conduct a simulation to determine radioactive decay and half-life. Using pennies, dice or sugar cubes as isotopes placed in shoe boxes simulating rocks, they hold five trials representing 1000 years each to find the theoretical...
Curated OER
Elements and Compounds
Middle schoolers explain how radioactive decay occurs. In this physical science lesson, students simulate radioactive half-life through an experiment. They graph their data and share their results in class.
Curated OER
The Who's Who of Quantum Physics
This wonderful recap of powerful figures in scientific history includes pictures, important dates, and the information about their inventions or impact. Atomic structure and the photoelectric effect are introduced. The first slide gives...
Curated OER
Nuclear Chemistry
Students write and balance nuclear equations. In this chemistry instructional activity, students identify materials that block radiation using polymers. They collect and analyze data from the experiment.
Curated OER
Properties of Matter
Ninth graders explore the molecular structure of matter and how it can affect the physical characteristics of a specific material. They demonstrate that isotopes of an element have different masses. Students demonstrate that the rates of...
Curated OER
Watershed Investigations
Learners find maps of the region to show rock formations and soil types and use GIS to compare radon levels. They describe three types of radioactive decay, interpret graphs, and follow steps to develop a nuclear bomb or energy.
Curated OER
Finding the Ages of Rocks and Fossils
High schoolers practice dating fossils. They learn the concept of "deep time"--that earth was formed billions of years ago. They experience excellent hand-outs and virtual age tutorial links.
Curated OER
Simulating the Greenhouse Effect in a Terrarium
Students identify what factors effect global warming and how the greenhouse effect occurs. In this environmental lesson plan students view videos then complete an experiment using a terrarium to observe greenhouse gas.
Curated OER
Half Lives
Pupils investigate the concept of half-life by conducting an M&M experiment. In this chemistry lesson, students differentiate nuclear fusion and fission. They present investigation findings to class.