Name: Aaliyah Senior

Class: 4B

Lab: #4

Title: Radioactive Decay

Date: June 4,2021

Aim: To demonstrate the radioactive decay pattern of atoms by graphical means using random
process

Apparatus/Materials: Coins, plastic container

Diagram:

Procedure:

1. The coins were used to represent the number of atoms.

2. Heads were used to represent a decayed atom and tails to represent an undecayed
atom.

3. The coins were placed in the container and shaken and then poured out.

4. The number of tails was recorded as the number of undecayed atoms.

5. The number of heads was placed aside as decayed atoms.

6. The number of undecayed atoms was placed back into the container and the procedure
repeated to obtain at least 10 readings.
7. The results were used to plot a graph of the number of undecayed atoms against the
number of throws.
Results:

Number 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
of
throws
Number 60 50 42 35 29 22 16 10 6 2 0
of
undecay
ed atoms
Title: Table showing the number of undecayed atoms in 10 trials.

Discussion:

The Half-life of a Radioactive substance is a characteristic constant; It measures the time it

takes for a given amount of substance to become reduced by half as a consequence of
decay,and therefore,the emission of radiation.

Three values that were used to estimate the half-life were 40 which had a half-life number
of 2.2, 26 which had a half-life number of 4.2 and 12 which had a half-life number of 6.4 The
values are constant because they are increasing by the same amount in terms with the constant
half-life.

The trend in my results is that when the 60 undecayed atoms were thrown 10 decayed
atoms were present and hen they were put aside the 50 undecayed atoms atoms were thrown
and 8 decayed atoms were present, When the 42 undecayed atoms was later then thrown 7
decayed atoms were present, When the 35 undecayed atoms were thrown 6 decayed atoms
were present, When the 29 undecayed atoms were thrown 7 decayed atoms were present,
When the 22 undecayed atoms were thrown 6 decayed atoms were present, When the 16
undecayed atoms were thrown 6 decayed atoms were present, When the 10 undecayed atoms
were thrown 4 decayed atoms were present and when the 2 undecayed atoms were thrown
there was 0 decayed atoms present. It can be estimated that the decayed atoms started to
decrease by 2 and then started to decrease by 1 and at some point increased by 1 then started
back to increase by 1 showing a constant phase.

It can be seen that the unstable atoms/undecayed atoms lose their stability through
radiation. Each of the atoms have a characteristic such as a constant half-life where a certain
amount of time is required for half of the atoms to decay. Radioactivity decay is said to be
random because the nuclei of radioactive atoms are said to be unstable. They break down and
change into a completely different type of atom which makes it not possible to predict when an
individual atom might decay unless you can statistically predict the behaviour of the group.
Precautions: In completion of this lab certain precautions were taken to get accurate results
such as ensuring the coins were thrown on a flat surface area so the coins are not piling up in
one place or landing on each other and also by counting the amount of decayed results(heads)
keenly to avoid inaccurate results.

Sources of Errors: In completion of this lab sources of error were performed where the coins
have landed on each other several times which allows me to perform the same activity over
and over again and some of the coins when thrown rolled off the flat surface which could have
resulted in inaccurate results.

Conclusion: In conclusion, sixty coins/atoms were used to demonstrate the radioactive decay
pattern of atoms by graphical means using random processes.