Lab 3Investigating Nuclear Decay (1)
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School
Jeremiah E Burke High**We aren't endorsed by this school
Course
CHE 123
Subject
Chemistry
Date
Dec 17, 2024
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3
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Lab 3: Investigating Nuclear Decay CHM 130INLesson ObjectivesBy the end of this lesson, you should be able to:1.Explain half-life of radioactive materials.2.Determine half-life using simulation.Background InformationRadioactivity has many pros and cons. The study of radioactivity and nuclear chemistry is becoming more widespread and important as the demand for non-renewable resources continues to climb. One important concept in the study of radioactivity is half life. Half life of a substance will tell how long the material is emitting radioactive particles. This will dictate its use and storage. The half life of a radioactive material is defined as half of the amount of material that remains after one time period has passed. This means, for example, that if 10grams of radioactivematerial has a half life of three days, after three days only five grams of the material would still be radioactive. If one graphs the radioactive decay of a material, regardless of type, it is noted that it is not a linear relationship. It creates a downward curve without ever reaching a point when the radioactive material is completely gone.MaterialsStudent supplied:One small bag of M&M's® candies or Skittles ® candiesSmall cupProceduresM&M's® or Skittles ® will be used to represent radioisotopes. As the candies decay, they will be removed. You will record data and create a graph using the data. The graph will help you determine the relationship of the half life of a radioisotope.1.Count the number of M&M® candies that you have. You should start with a minimum of 50 candies. Record this in a data table.2.Place all the candies in the cup and gently shake. Pour out on a sheet of paper.3.You will see that some of the candies (atoms) have decayed. This means that the "m" or “s” on the candy is facing down and no longer visible. Remove all the atoms that have decayed. Be sure to record the number of atoms that have decayed and the number that remain in your data table.4.Continue step three until all the atoms have decayed.Write your name, RADIOACTIVITY LAB, your student ID, and the current date (mm/dd/yy) oneither a sheet of paper or a notecard. Take a picture of this card and your sheet of paper with the M&M® candies. Paste this picture in the data section of your report below.Data Table 1:Shake #Number of “atoms” thatdecayed (this should be arunning total)Number of “atoms”remaining
Initial number of“atoms”0501252521114368453512611701810Create an xy scatter graph with Shake # on the horizontalaxis and Number of “atoms” that decay on the verticalaxis. Paste the graph here:Create an xy scatter graph with Shake # on the horizontalaxis and Number of “atoms” that remain on the verticalaxis. Paste the graph here:Do the graphs represent the known trend for radioactive decay? ExplainYes, both graphs show a clear downward trend showing the atoms (m&m's) decaying each roll, as atoms do over time.
In this experiment, all of the “atoms” decayed, is this what is observed in Radioactive decay of atoms? ExplainLike the experiment, it is random. Only a certain percentage of atoms will decay within their half life. Some atoms will always remain though.Write a short discussion of your findings and what you learned in this lab.It was a very interesting simulation. Just like real atomic decay, for one roll where one was leftit didn't decay which I learned is like real decay where some remain, it isn't guaranteed.Write your name, LAB 15, your student ID, and the current date (mm/dd/yy) on either a sheet of paper or a notecard. Take a picture of this card and your sheet of paper with the M&M® candies or Skittles® candies. Paste the picture here.