Demonstrations

Half Life - Coin Toss, Dice, or Cards

Code Number :	7D10.55
Disclaimer:	Reprinted by permission of Dick Berg, University of Maryland, for use on this website. The demonstrations contained and referenced herein are listed for the purposes of cataloging and describing physics demonstrations which should be conducted only under the direction of a trained instructional support professional or physicist. These demonstrations are not presented for the purpose of being conducted by persons unconnected to this Facility and/or persons not consulting with or being supervised by the recognized instructional support professional or physicist and his/her staff. The University is responsible only for those demonstrations carried out using its own equipment using established safety and scheduling policies, and bears no responsibility for those choosing to use this source material for their own purposes. All demonstrations described and contained herein are public domain, and can also be found in reference materials in libraries, bookstores, and electronic sources. Further information regarding legal liability in use of demonstrations and labs will be found on the web site Injuries in School/College Laboratories in USA. The University of Iowa Disclaimers: University of Iowa Disclaimer All Rights Reserved..
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

Christopher G. Deacon, "A Background to Background Radiation," TPT, p. 78, Vol. 41, # 2, (Feb. 2003).

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.

Mail Questions and Comments to: Dale Stille