ACTIVITY #___     NAME: _________________PERIOD: ___ DATE:_________ Score: ______
Academic Standards:  3.1, 3.4, 3.5 Fission Tracking  (2)

WESTIUM: Isotope half-life lab. Westium decays (disintegrates) into Cubium atoms.
 

MATERIALS:  Shoebox with lid, 100 dice (dollar store 10 packs), graph paper handout.

In this activity will reproduce the half-life curve of isotopes. One lab group can pull ones; another two’s and so on. Graph the number of sixes versus trials.

1. Students take the box and place flat on table and open the lid and pull all dice with the number six on top.   Your lab groups picked the number (_______) to pull and graph each time.                                             

      2. GRAPH  OF WESTIUM ISOTOPE:
Trial#  #DICE   DECAYED#                              Westium decays into Cubium atoms

1

 

 

100

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

95

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

 

 

90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4

 

 

85

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5

 

 

80

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6

 

 

75

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7

 

 

70

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8

 

 

65

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9

 

 

60

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10

 

 

55

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11

 

 

50

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12

 

 

45

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13

 

 

40

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14

 

 

35

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

15

 

 

30

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16

 

 

25

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

17

 

 

20

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

18

 

 

15

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

19

 

 

10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20

 

 

5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

21

22

 

 

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

Questions:

  1. After half (50) of the Westium dice was removed how many years did it take?
                                                                                     (keep in mind 1000 years per trial) ________years.
  2. Suppose each trial takes 1000 years, what is the half-life of Westium?                      ________ years.
  3. This is the half-life of Westium.

      How long did it take for the remaining Westium to completely decay into Cubium

                                                                                                                         (No dice left)? ________ years.

  1. Does your graph look like your neighbor’s graph?    Yes        No
  2. Imagine that you have a radioactive sample containing both Westium and Cubium atoms. After analysis, you find that it contains 25 atoms of Westium and 75 atoms of Cubium.
    How old is your sample?                                                                                                    ________ years.
  3. You find a sample that it contains 10 atoms of Westium and 90 atoms of Cubium.
    How old is your sample?                                                                                                    ________ years.
  4. What is the half-life of: Uranium 238?________________________years
  5. What is the half-life of: Carbon 14?     ________________________years
  6. What is the half-life of: Potassium 40? ________________________years
  7. What does isotope mean?_____________________________________________________________
  8. What is fission track dating method?___________________________________________________