Student Exploration: Half-life
Vocabulary: daughter atom, decay, Geiger counter, half-life, isotope, neutron, radiation,
radioactive, radiometric dating
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
...
Student Exploration: Half-life
Vocabulary: daughter atom, decay, Geiger counter, half-life, isotope, neutron, radiation,
radioactive, radiometric dating
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
1. Have you ever made microwave popcorn? If so, what do you hear while the popcorn is in
the microwave?
I have made microwave popcorn, when I make this I hear popping sounds coming from
the microwave.
2. If you turn the microwave on for two minutes, is the rate of popping always the same, or
does it change? Explain.
The rate of the popping increases the longer it is in the microwave. It changes because
the kernels are pooping, turning into popcorn. More of the kernels pop the longer they
are in the microwave.
Gizmo Warm-up
Like an unpopped kernel in the microwave, a radioactiveatom can change at any time.
Radioactive atoms change by emitting radiation in the form of tiny particles and/or energy. This
process, called decay, causes the radioactive atom to change into a stable daughter atom.
The Half-life Gizmo allows you to observe and measure the decay of a radioactive substance.
Be sure the sound is turned on and click Play ( ).
1. What do you see and hear?
We see and hear a popping sound and we see the atoms being ‘zapped’ then changing
color.
Note: The clicking sound you hear comes from a Geiger counter, an instrument that
detects the particles and energy emitted by decaying radioactive atoms.
2. What remains at the end of the decay process?
Daughter atoms remain at the end of the decay process.
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