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PEKA Radioactive

The document discusses radioactive decay and half-life. It describes an experiment using dice to model radioactive decay. Dice are cast multiple times and the number remaining after each throw is recorded. This shows the relationship between the number of dice (nuclei) remaining and the number of times cast (time), demonstrating that the number remaining halves approximately every set number of throws (half-life). Graphing the results over increasing numbers of throws clearly illustrates radioactive decay and the concept of half-life.

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68 views2 pages

PEKA Radioactive

The document discusses radioactive decay and half-life. It describes an experiment using dice to model radioactive decay. Dice are cast multiple times and the number remaining after each throw is recorded. This shows the relationship between the number of dice (nuclei) remaining and the number of times cast (time), demonstrating that the number remaining halves approximately every set number of throws (half-life). Graphing the results over increasing numbers of throws clearly illustrates radioactive decay and the concept of half-life.

Uploaded by

[email protected]
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PEKA

Name/Class/Date
Statement of problem:
By theory, an unstable radioactive will undergo a series of disintegrations until it becomes a new
stable nuclei. This activity of radioactive source decreases with time. Different radioactive substances
decay at different rates. The half-life is equal to the interval of time for about a half of the radioactive
to disappear.

Diagram below shows the half life of radon-220 is about 52 s by putting a small amount of radon-220
into diffusion cloud chamber. The number of tracks travelled by α–particles decreases with time. The
half-life is equal to the interval of time for about a half of the tracks to disappear. The photo in (b) is
taken after the photo in (a) with an interval of time 60s.

Diagram (a) Diagram (b)

You are asked to investigate the relationship between the activity of a radioactive source remains after
the certain time by using dices.

PEKA Report:
Inference The number of dices remaining in the box influenced by the number of times dices
being casted.
Hypothesis When the number of times dices casted increases, the number of dices remained
decreases.
Aim To study the relationship between the number of dices remaining with the number
of times dices casted and thus to understand the half-life.
Variables Manipulated: number of times dice casted
Responding: number of dices remaining
Constant: initial number of dices
List of 150 dices, container to hold the dice
apparatus and
materials
Arrangement of
apparatus and Container
materials Dice
Table
Procedures 1. Cast the 150 dices in a large box.
2. The box is shaken vigorously. The dice is then thrown on a big table.
Remove all the dice that are landed with the designated face side up.
They represent the nuclei that have undergone a radioactive decay.
3. Put the dice that you have removed on the left edge of the table, stack them
up in a tall column.
4. Gather up the remaining dices and toss them again. The number of dice
remained represent the nuclei that do not undergo radioactive decay.
5. Remove the dice that land with designated face side up and arrange
them in a second beside the first column.
6. Repeat this experiment until all the dice have been removed. If no dice com
up on the designated side on a toss, leave an empty column.
Experimental 1. Tabulate my results:
results Throw Number of dice removed Number of dice remaining
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

2. Draw the stack of dices formed as below:

3. A graph of number of dice remaining against the number of times dice


casted.
Conclusion 1. The number of dice remaining decreases with the number of times dice
casted. Hypothesis is proven to be true.
2. The time taken for a number of nuclei to reduce to a half of its original
number is the half-life of a radioactive sample.
Graph On the graph paper.
Discussion 1. In each throw, the number of dice showing is about half the total number of
dice in the box.
2. The results are in accordance with the probability theory in a random
process for a large number of particles.
3. Hence, if the number of nuclei in a radioactive sample is large, we can
predict quite accurately that a certain fraction of the nuclei in the sample
undergoes the disintegration after a certain time.
4. The time taken for each throw is the half-life of the ‘radioactive’ dice.

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