Alpha Scattering Simulation Programs for sale on the WWW

CD ROM https://www.newbyte.com/software/physics/RadioactivityAlphaParticleScattering/?site=uk

The Half-life of Dice is a useful illustration of the random nature of radioactivity and produces a good graph to plot.

Instructions:

Take ten bags with 100 x 1cm³ cubes in each.

One side of each cube needs to be painted black (best done before you cut them up if you are making them in the technology lab!)

Give the bags of 'dice' are to small groups of pupils.

They must throw the dice into a small tray and remove any that fall 'black face upward'.

Then they must count and record the number remaining and throw them again.

This is repeated until all are removed.

The results can be assimilated using a simple spreadsheet package.

Showing the random nature of decay the following simulation popping popcorn also works well. (Care with safety! … Do a full risk assessment!).

Pre-heat a popcorn popper.

Mark a few of the kernels with a felt-tipped pen.

Place about 20 popcorn kernels in the air popper. (Using only a few kernels will prevent the kernels from being obscured by the popped corn).

Pop the popcorn.

Record the time it takes for a coloured kernel to pop.

Repeat with fresh kernels.

Transmutation can be simulated by playing a game.

You need a supply of two sets of coloured balls or beads. The beads are placed in a bowl to represent the nucleus of an atom. Beads/balls representing the particle emitted are taken out and the remaining nucleus' characteristic can then be worked out by counting the number of protons and neutrons left in the bowl. Its name can be looked up on a periodic table.