Radioactive Decay

Objective

The activity is designed to simulate the random processes of radioactive decay and to allow students to plot a decay curve and then use the plotted data to estimate the half-life of the decay process in the simulation.

Equipment

About 400 dice. (see the hint below).
A large flat surface on which to spread out the dice.\
A large 1 litre beaker.
Graph paper.

HINT:

The simulatiuon can be done using fewer dice. For example, using 100 dice, one could simulate the effect of using 400 dice by simply adding together the results of running the simulation four times.

Inexpensive dice can be purchased in bulk from the toy section of discount stores

Procedure

Transparency master	The key idea is to remove dice from an large number of dice (approximately 100 dice) based on random selection. In this activity 100 dice are placed in a one litre beaker (called the "randomizer"). The beaker is shaken to randomizer the orientation of the dice. These dice are then spilled randomly onto a flat level surface. HINT:Inexpensive dice can be purchased in bulk from the toy section of discount stores

Transparency master

The key idea is to remove dice from an large number of dice (approximately 100 dice) based on random selection.

In this activity 100 dice are placed in a one litre beaker (called the "randomizer"). The beaker is shaken to randomizer the orientation of the dice.

These dice are then spilled randomly onto a flat level surface.

HINT:Inexpensive dice can be purchased in bulk from the toy section of discount stores

Transparency master	Each die can be thought of as an atomic nucleus. When a die turns up as a "one" (1) it is considered to have undergone a radioactive decay. Once it has "decayed" it is removed from the collection of dice and it is set aside with other "ones" taken from the group. These dice are placed in group called sample one (one)

Transparency master

Each die can be thought of as an atomic nucleus. When a die turns up as a "one" (1) it is considered to have undergone a radioactive decay.

Once it has "decayed" it is removed from the collection of dice and it is set aside with other "ones" taken from the group.

These dice are placed in group called sample one (one)

Transparency master	All of the sample one dice are counted and set aside. They have undergone a simulated radioactive decay and therefore cannot be used again. The remaining "non-one" dice are still radioactive and can still undergo radioactive decay. Place the remaining dice into the randomizer (breaker). Remember not to include the sample one dice.

Transparency master

All of the sample one dice are counted and set aside. They have undergone a simulated radioactive decay and therefore cannot be used again.

The remaining "non-one" dice are still radioactive and can still undergo radioactive decay.

Place the remaining dice into the randomizer (breaker). Remember not to include the sample one dice.

Transparency master	Shake the dice in the beaker to randomize their orientation and then spill them onto a flat surface. One again, remove the "ones" from the spilled dice. Place these dice into a group called sample two(2). Count the number of dice in sample two and set them aside.

Transparency master

Shake the dice in the beaker to randomize their orientation and then spill them onto a flat surface.

One again, remove the "ones" from the spilled dice.

Place these dice into a group called sample two(2).

Count the number of dice in sample two and set them aside.

Transparency master	Place the remaining dice into the beaker and continue to repeat the process of sorting the "ones" into unique groups for each time the process is repeated. As the sample in the beaker continues to dwindle the "ones" will become fewer and fewer. The time required (i.e. the number of decay cycles) for the sample to completely decay can become very long

Transparency master

Place the remaining dice into the beaker and continue to repeat the process of sorting the "ones" into unique groups for each time the process is repeated.

As the sample in the beaker continues to dwindle the "ones" will become fewer and fewer.

The time required (i.e. the number of decay cycles) for the sample to completely decay can become very long

Transparency master	Transparency master

Transparency master