Why Do Materials Have Any Effect On Radioactive Decay

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Experimental Purpose The purpose of this experiment is to see if materials such as paper, cloth, wood, etc. have any effect on radioactive decay. Radioactive decay is the emission of particles caused by the disintegration of atoms. In this experiment, one will create a cloud chamber and the proper usage of isopropyl alcohol, dry ice, and a radioactive source will produce a visual representation of decay tracks. After a control test is conducted, the radioactive source will be wrapped with certain materials and be tested the same way to determine if they have any effect on the radioactive decay tracks. One will be observing the amount of tracks produced, the shape, the size, the brightness, the length of the tracks, and any other observations for each trial.
Research
An atom is an “extremely small, positively charged nucleus surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged elections” (Nuclear Science Division, 2007). The nucleus contains positively charged protons and neutrally-charged particles called neutrons. The number of protons in an atom is its “atomic number”, which indicates what …show more content…
It is impossible to accurately predict when a certain atom will decay; however, the decay rate for a large sum of atoms can be measured through half-lives and/or decay constants. (Georgia State University, 2001) There are three types of radioactive decay – alpha decay, beta decay, and gamma decay. When alpha decay occurs, the nucleus emits an “alpha particle, or a particle containing two protons and two neutrons”, causing the nucleus to slowly decay by the loss of these subatomic particles. (Types of Radioactive Decay…, 2012) The alpha particles are slow moving and heavy, and are easily blocked by air, paper, some fabrics, and skin. While they usually cannot do much harm, if alpha particles are ingested, they can cause tissue damage in the

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