This applet presents a simulation of the decay of a collection of 1000 radioactive nuclei. One starts a clock and can observe the fraction of particles that have decayed as a function of time via a numerical display and graph. Graph points are plotted by pausing and starting the clock.
Type of Material:
Simulation
Recommended Uses:
Useful for familiarizing students to the radioactive decay law and processes.
Technical Requirements:
Java enabled browser
Identify Major Learning Goals:
Illustrates an exponential decay process allowing students to gain an intuitive feel for radioactive decay, half-lives and their probabilistic basis.
Target Student Population:
High school and all introductory physics courses.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
Essentially none. It is easier to understand the simulation if you understand exponentiation. The descriptive material presents the radioactive law in terms of the exponential of 2, rather than e, so it should be accessible to minimally prepared students. Some preliminary exposure to radioactive decay processes would be helpful.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
A clear visual display of 1000 atoms changing species. The applet makes the point that one cannot predict which nuclei will decay and that it is a probabilistic process.
Concerns:
Its not clear if the simulation plot is the result of utilizing random numbers or simply a plot of the radioactive decay curve. The author hints that it is probabilistic by noting that the data points may not fall exactly on the curve, but they come so close that one is given to wondering. (see notes below).
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
The visual display of the atoms changing species in random fashion serves well to get across in an intuitive fashion the random aspect of the decay process.
Concerns:
The most significant concern is the lack of interactivity available to the user of this applet. The relationship of a probabilistic law to the decay formula would be better served by choices of initial population size and/or half-life that would make it clear the probabilistic nature present; meaning data points that more obviously do not occur on the decay curve. The ability to adjust these parameters would make the applet more meaningful.
As currently written, we believe students would be better served by a look at text-book reference material followed by a 10-20 minute session of the famous M&M simulation of radioactive decay or some other such hands on simulation.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
The controls are well laid out and quite intuitive. Its easy to figure out how to run the the simulation.
Concerns:
None
Creative Commons:
Search by ISBN?
It looks like you have entered an ISBN number. Would you like to search using what you have
entered as an ISBN number?
Searching for Members?
You entered an email address. Would you like to search for members? Click Yes to continue. If no, materials will be displayed first. You can refine your search with the options on the left of the results page.
Searching for Members?
You entered an email address. Would you like to search for members? Click Yes to continue. If no, materials will be displayed first. You can refine your search with the options on the left of the results page.
