Curated OER
Radioactive Simulations
Students simulate radioactive decay and nuclear power using an on line interactive web site. In this on line lesson plan, students monitor radioactive isotopes and record the activity of a particular element as the decay progresses. They...
Virginia Department of Education
Radioactive Decay and Half-Life
Explain the importance of radioactive half-life as your high school biologists demonstrate the concept by performing a series of steps designed to simulate radioactive decay. Pupils use pennies to perform an experiment and gather data....
Curated OER
Radioactive Dating
In this radioactive dating worksheet, students use their reference guide in their text book to find the half-lives of 4 isotopes. They use a decay chart to help determine the half-lives and age of given bones and samples of radioactive...
PhET
Isotopes and Atomic Mass
Some isotopes are unstable, or radioactive, meaning they will decay over time and turn into another isotope or stable element. In the interactive simulation, participants manipulate elements to create isotopes and gather information....
Cornell University
Isotope Rummy
Thanks to this game, teaching isotopes will never be the same. Physical science scholars work their way toward understanding isotopes in an entertaining game. Pupils play rummy in groups while practicing good sportsmanship and creating...
Curated OER
The Uses of Radiation
No visual aids, no activities, and no demonstrations accompany this plan. What you will find, is background information for a short lecture on the use of isoptopic radiation in the medical field and in our everyday lives. Should you...
NASA
MASS, MASS – Who Has the MASS? Analyzing Tiny Samples
What is it worth to you? A hands-on activity asks groups to collect weights of different combinations of coins and calculate weighted averages. They use the analysis to understand the concept of an isotope to finish the third activity in...
Curated OER
Demonstrating the Half-Life of a Radioactive Isotope
In this half-life worksheet, students use 100 pennies to simulate radioactive isotopes and half-life. They place the pennies in a box and shake the box. All pennies that turn up tails are removed from the box. They represent the isotopes...
Curated OER
Industrialization of the American Landscape
Students explore the Chernobyl incident and the resulting environmental health impacts. They explore three different isotopes that were released into the atmosphere. Through inquiry, students determine the difference between types of...
Virginia Department of Education
Isotopes
Lead your class through the amazing world of isotopes as they investigate the various properties they contain and further understand their respective location on the periodic table. They explore half-lives and radioactivity as each...
NASA
Analyzing Tiny Samples Using a Search for the Beginning Mass Spectrometry
Teach the basics of mass spectrometry with a hands-on lesson. The fourth in a series of six lessons explores how mass spectrometry measures the ionic composition of an element. Learners then compare and contrast relative abundance and...
Curated OER
Radioactivity-What is the Nucleus Like?
In this radioactivity worksheet, students answer 40 questions about half life, isotopes, radioactive decay, the uses of radioactivity, nuclear equations and the scientists associated with radioactivity.
Curated OER
Radiochemistry
In this radiochemistry worksheet, students read about how scientists learn more about elements using radioactive isotopes. Students answer three critical thinking questions about the reading and radiochemistry.
CK-12 Foundation
Radiocarbon Dating
How do we know how long ago a dinosaur lived or an ancient fire pit was used? Scholars learn about the application of carbon dating and half lives to discover things about the past. They adjust the amount of radioactive carbon in the...
Curated OER
Radioactive Isotopes
Students describe an isotope and radioactive isotope in a written essay. They describe how a specific country or region was affected by radioactive contamination and attempt to sympathize with those affected by these radioactive...
Curated OER
Radioactive Decay and Half-Life
Students describe how the mass of a radioactive isotope changes with time and the factors that affect the rate of radioactive decay. They write nuclear decay equations to represent natural transmutation. This activity is accomplished...
Curated OER
M&M Science and Math
A series of math and science activities feature M&M's® as manipulatives to help kids work through equations. The resource includes exercises on finding averages, percent of compositions, moles in chemical reactions, genotypes and...
Jefferson Lab
The Periodic Table of Elements
A study of the periodic table of elements doesn't have to be elementary! Deepen understanding of the building blocks of chemistry with an interactive periodic table. At first sight, the table looks like a standard reference page, but a...
CK-12 Foundation
Marie Curie's Classroom
What makes some elements stable and others radioactive? Scholars adjust the number of protons and neutrons in an element then observe its decay. The simulation includes a graphical representation and the chemical formula, as well as...
Curated OER
Properties of Matter
Ninth graders explore the molecular structure of matter and how it can affect the physical characteristics of a specific material. They demonstrate that isotopes of an element have different masses. Students demonstrate that the rates of...
College Board
2004 AP® Environmental Science Free-Response Questions
Radioactive isotopes have a wealth of uses, but their waste may cause some concern. One of four free-response questions challenges learners to devise a waste removal strategy for medical radioactive substances. Other questions address...
Curated OER
Half-life Worksheet
In this half-life worksheet, students determine how long it takes for a 100g sample of AU-198 to decay to 6.25g. Then they determine the half-life of a radioactive isotope if a 500.0g sample decays to 62.5g in 24.3 hours. Students also...
Curated OER
Nuclear Decay
In this nuclear decay worksheet, students read about alpha and beta decay and the isotopes formed by the reactions. Students solve nine problems including writing the equations for the decay of radioactive isotopes, identifying the...
Curated OER
Radioactivity Experiments
Students study the difference between types of ionizing radiation and how elements are transmuted. They determine that radiation is normal and surrounds us. They calculate the amounts of alpha, beta and gamma radiation emitted from a...