Code Number: 7D10.55
Demo Title: Half Life - Coin Toss or Cards
Condition: Excellent
Principle: Radioactive Decay, Half-Life
Area of Study: Modern Physics
Equipment:
Pennies.
Procedure:
Count out 100 pennies. Toss them into the air pick out the ones that land "tails" up and then put them into a row. Take the remaining pennies and toss them into the air and again pick out the ones that land "tails" up and put them into a row. Repeat the process until no pennies are left. The rows should show an approximate radiation half-life curve.
References:
- Howard Evans, "Modeling Data Without Software", TPT, Vol. 46, #9, Dec. 2008, p. 516.
- T. T. Grove, M. F. Masters, "Mechanical Simulation of Half-Life", TPT, Vol. 46, #6, Sept. 2008, p. 369.
- Christopher G. Deacon, "A Background to Background Radiation", TPT, Vol. 41, #2, Feb. 2003, p. 78.
- R. Castillo, "An Analog of the Half-Life of a Radioactive Element", TPT, Vol. 6, #9, Dec. 1968, p. 467.
- "Radioactive Decay of Candium", Countertop Chemistry, The Science House, North Carolina State University.
- Simulation: Radioactive Deck-ay
- "Radioactive Decay Model", Exploratorium Science Snackbook, pp. 81.1 - 81.2.
- #124, "Heads Up", Janice VanCleave's 203 Icy, Freezing, Frosty, Cool, and Wild Experiments.
- Bobby Mercer, "Candy Half-Life", Junk Drawer Chemistry, 2016, p. 174.