Activity Overview
In this lesson, students will simulate radioactive dating at an archeological site.
Objectives
- Students will discover that radioactive isotopes decay exponentially.
- Students will discover that each radioactive isotope has a specific half-life.
- Students will develop mathematical model for the radioactive decay of C-14 and U-238.
- Students will estimate the age of various objects using radioactive dating with common radioactive isotopes, such as C-14 in dating living organisms and U-238 in dating geological formations and fossils.
Vocabulary
- radioactive decay
- radioactive isotope
- half-life
- radioactive dating
- exponential
About the Lesson
Adapted from a PhETTM simulation, this lesson involves students using TI-Nspire technology to simulate radioactive dating at an archeological site.
As a result students will:
- use the simulation to measure the percent of remaining isotopes for Carbon-14 and Uranium-238 during radioactive decay process
- develop mathematical models for the radioactive decay and use these to estimate the age of organic and inorganic materials
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