Radioactivity iLab

FAQ

How does the lab work?
The Radioactivity iLab mainly consists of a Geiger counter and a radioactive strontium-90 sample, which is located at the University of Queensland in Australia. The equipment is connected to computers which allows people to access the lab from anywhere in the world at any time.

The purpose of the lab is to study how the intensity of radiation changes as a function of distance. Students choose distances away from the strontium-90 sample at which measurements of radiation are taken, as well as the time that these measurements will last, and the number of trials that will be conducted. After submitting the experiment, students receive a table of their results that shows radiation measurements at each specified distance. Radiation is quantified in "particle counts", meaning the number of radioactive particles that are emitted from the strontium-90 source and counted by the Geiger counter.

Do you need a Mac or PC computer to do the lab?
Either type of computer will work with iLabs.

What technical requirements must my computer fulfill in order to use iLabs?
In addition to having an Internet connection, you must have Adobe Flash Player 9.0.24 or later installed on your computer browser. Most browsers may have the Player already installed, so you may not have to worry about this requirement. The latest Flash Player can be downloaded from this site: http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/

Your browser's popup blocker also needs to be disabled. If you do not have permission on your school computer to modify your browser settings, please contact your IT system administor to add the following sites as exceptions in the popup blocker: http://ilabs.sesp.northwestern.edu and http://radioactivity.sesp.northwestern.edu.

For more detailed technical requirements to use this iLab, visit the Technical Requirements page.

Is there any particular background or grade level required to do this lab?
The Radioactivity iLab is appropriate for all high school grades, although the content covered is most specifically targeted toward high school physics courses.

No particular background is required to do this lab, although it is preferable if students have learned about radioactivity or radiation before. If your students are not familiar with this content area, you can still participate in the pilot and provide additional support in preparing your students for this lab.