Hon Chemistry Half-Life Simulation Lab

HON CHEMISTRY: Hey guys! Here’s the Half-life Simulation Lab. Perhaps a bit safer than the real thing? Unless, of course, you’ve taken someone’s M&M’s and then you could have a whole different kind of meltdown! Someone stop me!

Here’s where you post your results. By the way, the numbers to start with that are listed on the lab sheets are strictly examples. I’d start with something like 200 or so, not a whole lot less. You don’t have to use candies; you may use coins or anything else that has two sides. Please note that you are to post the number of “radioactive” nuclides remaining after each toss. You guys decided in class today that your lab results would be due posted as a comment to this post by the Tuesday BEFORE Thanksgiving. The entire lab report, written in your lab book (graph included!) is due Tuesday afternoon AFTER Thanksgiving.

FYI – Just to clarify, everything on the lab sheets will go in your lab book. Title, Objective, Procedure, Observations (with data table), Conclusion, and Questions. Don’t forget that your graph needs to be drawn on graph paper, folded in half, and attached in your lab book. It can be stapled or taped.

Happy counting – and wait until AFTER the lab to snack!! 🙂

M&M's
flickr photo by Jared Browarnik

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21 thoughts on “Hon Chemistry Half-Life Simulation Lab

    • Ryan – Everything on the lab sheets will go in your lab book. Title, Objective, Procedure, Observations (with data table), Conclusion, and Questions. Don’t forget that your graph needs to be drawn on graph paper, folded in half, and attached in your lab book. It can be stapled or taped.

  1. Here are my results:
    Toss-# of Radioactive Nuclei-Prediction of Next Toss
    0-280-170
    1-137-64
    2-64-29
    3-34-17
    4-16-7
    5-11-6
    6-6-4
    7-4-2
    8-2-0
    9-1-1
    10-1-0
    11-0

  2. Toss-# of Radioactive Nuclei-Prediction of Next Toss
    0-140-70
    1-71-34
    2-54-28
    3-37-25
    4-28-15
    5-17-7
    6-13-9
    7-8-5
    8-3-1
    9-0

  3. Toss#/Radioactive nuclei/prediction
    0/200/100
    1/108/54
    2/68/34
    3/50/30
    4/35/20
    5/20/15
    6/12/6
    7/7/4
    8/4/2
    9/2/1
    10/1/0
    11/0

  4. toss#/radioactive nuclei/prediction of next toss
    0/250/132
    1/125/59
    2/67/40
    3/36/19
    4/20/11
    5/7/3
    6/2/1
    7/1/0
    8/0/-

  5. Toss/Number of Radioactive Nuclei/Prediction

    0-200-100
    1-89-40
    2-47-25
    3-21-10
    4-10-5
    5-5-3
    6-3-2
    7-2-1
    8-1-0
    9-1-0
    10-0

  6. Here are my results:

    Toss-Number of Radioactive Nuclei-Prediction

    0-200-95
    1-102-87
    2-53-34
    3-25-17
    4-11-6
    5-7-3
    6-3-2
    7-1-0
    8-1-0
    9-1-0
    10-0

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