Radioactivity And Half-Life Modeling
Students simulate and measure radioactive decay by using simulats® (simulated radioactive atoms). They then use their data to create decay graphs and determine the half-life. To extend their understanding, they use known half-lives of actual radioisotopes to estimate the ages of ancient artifacts or fraction of the isotope remaining in those artifacts.
Details at a Glance
- 1-2 Days | 1-2 ~50 minute class periods
- 1 Activity
- Accommodates unlimited classes, each with 15 groups of 2 students
- All materials are non-consumable
- Includes digital resources
Scientific Concepts
•Some elements have unstable radioactive isotopes (radioisotopes) that decay over time into different elements.
•Half-life is the time it takes for half of the atoms of a sample of radioisotopes to decay.
•A radioisotope’s half-life is constant and independent of sample size.
•Different radioisotopes have different half-lives, ranging from under 1 second to millions of years.
•The process of radiometric dating uses radioisotopes to estimate the age of artifacts from the past.
KEY VOCABULARY: atom, element, isotope, radiometric dating, decay, half-life, radioisotope, sub-atomic particle
Guides & Student Sheets
Our kits and modules provide you with everything you need so you can open, review, and teach the material confidently the next day.
- Comprehensive Teacher Guide with background information, detailed instruction, example data and answers
- Student Sheets with age appropriate background information, full procedure(s), and analysis items
- Materials necessary for the investigation (beyond common classroom items)
- Safety Data Sheets
Kit Components
- 1 Teachers Guide
- 30 Student Worksheets and Guides with data chart
- 15 Simulated radioactive atoms (simulats), plastic, sets
- 15 Shakers
Related Products
-
Kit #52Tree Ring DatingThis activity provides a basic knowledge of the principle of tree ring dating by using simulated core samples. Students first determine the age of a “tree cut down in 2019” then extend their understanding of tree ring correlation by determining the age of a “tree cut down” decades ago.
$73.45 View Details -
Kit #109SPeriodic Table
This kit contains two activities. In Activity 1, students compare pre-selected data on physical and chemical properties of 14 elements and sort the elements into groups based on common properties. They then compare their classifications with groups - or families - of elements as defined by scientists. In Activity 2, students are introduced to the Periodic Table...
$116.65 View Details -
Kit #406SExamining Fossils
Fossils provide important evidence about changes in life on Earth. This kit provides students with the opportunity to handle and examine eight different fossils from various localities and geologic ages. Fossils of species that are no longer living provide evidence for extinction; fossils of species similar but not identical to those alive today provide...
$194.65 View Details -
Kit #443SSedimentary Strata
Students examine four drill cores representing a fictional series of rock layers. They then use the evidence from each drill core to create a stratigraphic column for each location and use evidence from the cores to correlate to the layers from the different locations. They are then challenged to use this fossil evidence to...
$86.95 View Details
