Radioactivity iLab
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Investigating the Safety of Nuclear Energy Using Real Radioactivity Data
STUDENT PAGE
iLab: Radioactivity iLab
In this lab, you can explore how radioactive radiation changes as a function of distance. This curriculum sets the Radioactivity iLab in the context of nuclear energy, and asks you to consider:
How safe is it to live next to a nuclear reactor?
Pre-Lab Activities
In the Pre-Lab Activities, you will learn about nuclear energy, radiation, radioactivity, and half-lives.Activity 1: Introduction
Activity 2: Nuclear Energy Podcast and Discussion
Activity 3a: Becoming certified to work with open source radiation (iLab): Princeton Radioactivity Modules
Activity 3b: Transmutation Flash Animation, Introduction to Radioactivity and Radiation
Activity 4: Half-Life Simulation/Activity
Lab Activities
In the Lab Activities, you will conduct the Radioactivity iLab. With the real data you collect, you will perform analyses, discuss your results with classmates, and draw conclusions about how radiation changes as a function of distance.Activity 5: First Run of iLab Radioactivity Experiment
Radioactivity iLab Guide (PDF)
Troubleshooting the Radioactivity iLab - for students
Formats: (HTML) (PDF)
Radioactivity iLab Analysis Guide (Excel 2001-2004 - PDF) (Excel 2007-2008 - PDF) (OpenOffice - PDF)
Activity 6: Peer Review & Reflection
Activity 7: Second Run of iLab Radioactivity Experiment (Homework)
Radioactivity iLab Guide (PDF)
Troubleshooting the Radioactivity iLab - for students
Formats: (HTML) (PDF)
Radioactivity iLab Analysis Guide (Excel 2001-2004 - PDF) (Excel 2007-2008 - PDF) (OpenOffice - PDF)
Post-Lab Activities
In the Post-Lab Activities, you will draw connections between the scientific data you collected and the real-world problem of using nuclear energy as a source of power, storage of nuclear waste, and locations of nuclear powerplants.Activity 8a: Examine current map of nuclear reactors in U.S. and discuss placement and numbers
US Nuclear Reactor Map Activity (PDF)
Activity 8b: What if there was a nuclear reactor in my neighborhood?
Discussion or Living Near Nuclear Reactor Activity (PDF)
Activity 9: Debate Activity - Decide whether the U.S. should build more nuclear power plants
Activity 10: Write a letter to Congress discussing your stance on nuclear power
Activity 11: Wrap-Up and Post-Assessment
This curriculum is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Developed By
David Chan
Chemistry Teacher/Technology Coordinator
Evanston Township High School
Evanston, Illinois
with the support of the Office of STEM Education Partnerships at Northwestern University
Contact
Links
Resources
FAQ
Technical Requirements
Troubleshooting the Radioactivity iLab
All Radioactivity iLab Curricula
The iLab Network is supported in part by the National Science Foundation under grant OCI-0753324. However, any opinions, findings, conclusions, and/or recommendations are those of the investigators and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.