Alpha Decay

Alpha Decay Screenshot
  • Alpha Decay
  • Half Life
  • Radiation
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Topics

  • Alpha Decay
  • Half Life
  • Radiation

Description

Watch alpha particles escape from a polonium nucleus, causing radioactive alpha decay. See how random decay times relate to the half life.

Sample Learning Goals

  • Explain what happens in alpha radiation.
  • Predict what happens to an element when it undergoes alpha decay.
  • Explain the concept of half life, including the random nature of it.
  • Begin to gain an understanding of the forces that work to hold an atomic nucleus together (strong nuclear force) and the forces that work to break it apart (Coulomb, i.e. electric charge, force).
Version 3.27

Teacher Tips

Download teacher tips PDF Overview of sim controls, model simplifications, and insights into student thinking ( PDF ).

Teacher-Submitted Activities

Concept questions for Physics using PhET (Inquiry Based) A gold star indicates high-quality, inquiry-based activities that follow the PhET design guidelines. This contribution was designed by PhET. Trish Loeblein HS
UG-Intro
MC Physics
Visualization and Visual Illusions SIM Homework A gold star indicates high-quality, inquiry-based activities that follow the PhET design guidelines. This contribution was designed by PhET. Kathy Perkins, Carl Wieman UG-Intro HW Physics
Using PhET in High School Chemistry- all my activities in pdf A gold star indicates high-quality, inquiry-based activities that follow the PhET design guidelines. This contribution was designed by PhET. Trish Loeblein UG-Intro
HS
HW
Lab
Demo
Chemistry
Concept Questions for Chemistry using PhET A gold star indicates high-quality, inquiry-based activities that follow the PhET design guidelines. This contribution was designed by PhET. Trish Loeblein HS
UG-Intro
MS
MC Chemistry
Alpha Decay investigations A gold star indicates high-quality, inquiry-based activities that follow the PhET design guidelines. This contribution was designed by PhET. Trish Loeblein HS
UG-Intro
Lab Physics
Chemistry
PhET LAB Alpha (IB 7.2) A gold star indicates high-quality, inquiry-based activities that follow the PhET design guidelines. Benjamin Forbes HS Lab Physics
Nuclear Processes A gold star indicates high-quality, inquiry-based activities that follow the PhET design guidelines. Phil Cook HS Lab
How do PhET simulations fit in my middle school program? This contribution was designed by PhET. Sarah Borenstein MS Other Physics
Earth Science
Chemistry
Biology
Alignment of PhET sims with NGSS This contribution was designed by PhET. Trish Loeblein updated by Diana López MS
HS
Other Earth Science
Chemistry
Biology
Physics
PhET Sims Aligned to the Chemistry Curriculum This contribution was designed by PhET. Julia Chamberlain UG-Intro
HS
Other Chemistry
Mapping of PhET and IBDP Physics Jaya Ramchandani HS Other Physics
MS and HS TEK to Sim Alignment Elyse Zimmer HS
MS
Other Physics
Biology
Chemistry
Investigating a radioactive decay Lori Fritz HS Lab Physics
Radioactivity MEHMET EMIN KALE HS
UG-Intro
Lab
HW
Physics
Mathematics
Instructor Clarence Canty Other CQs
Lab
Phet Alpha Decay Simulation Lab Drew Isola HS Other
Lab
Spinometer Chris Mounce UG-Adv Demo
Radioactive Decay, Fission and Chain Reactions Debra Krause Dandaneau UG-Intro
HS
Lab
Other
Physics
Intrinsic Randomness Roberta Tevlin HS CQs Physics
alfa verval Janine Nauw HS Lab Physics
Radioaktiivse lagunemise meedialabori juhend Siim Tõkke HS Lab
HW
Physics
알파붕괴 SIM 사용지침서 이화국(Wha Kuk Lee) UG-Intro
HS
Lab
Demo
Earth Science
Chemistry
Physics
Astronomy

Language Download or Run Tips
Albanian All shqip Run now Zbërthimi alfa
Amharic All Amharic Run now አልፋ መበስበስ
Arabic All العربية Run now تفتت ألفا
Arabic (Saudi Arabia) All العربية (السعودية) Run now تحلل ألفا
Basque All Euskara Run now Alfa-desintegrazioa
Belarusian All беларускі Run now Альфа-распад
Bosnian All Bosanski Run now ALFA-RASPAD
Bulgarian All български Run now Алфа-разпад
Catalan All català Run now Desintegració alfa
Chinese (Simplified) All 中文 (中国) Run now Alpha衰变
Chinese (Traditional) All 中文 (台灣) Run now Alpha 衰變
Croatian All hrvatski Run now Alfa raspad
Czech All čeština Run now Alfa rozklad
Danish All Dansk Run now Alfahenfald
Dutch All Nederlands Run now Alfaverval
Estonian All Eesti Run now Alfalagunemine
Finnish All suomi Run now Alfasäteily
French All français Run now Désintégration alpha
Galician All Gallegan Run now Decaemento Alfa
Georgian All ქართული Run now ალფა დაშლა
German All Deutsch Run now Alphazerfall
Greek All Ελληνικά Run now Διάσπαση Άλφα
Haitian All Haitian Run now Degradasyon alfa
Hebrew All עברית Run now דעיכת אלפא
Hungarian All magyar Run now Alfa-bomlás
Indonesian All Bahasa Indonesia Run now Peluruhan Alfa
Italian All italiano Run now Decadimento alfa (α)
Japanese All 日本語 Run now α崩壊
Kannada All Kannada Run now ಆಲ್ಫ ಕ್ಷಯ
Kazakh All Kazakh Run now Альфа Шашылу
Korean All 한국어 Run now 알파붕괴
Lao All Lao Run now ອັດສະ​ລາຍບໍ່ມີເພດ;
Macedonian All македонски Run now Алфа зрачење
Mongolian All Монгол (Монгол) Run now Альфа Задрал
Norwegian Bokmal All Norsk bokmål Run now Alfanedbryting
Norwegian Nynorsk All Norwegian Nynorsk Run now Alfanedbryting
Pashto All Pushto Run now د الفا وړانګېینه
Persian All فارسی Run now واپاشی آلفا
Polish All polski Run now Rozpad alfa
Portuguese All português Run now Radiação alfa
Portuguese (Brazil) All português (Brasil) Run now Decaimento Alfa
Romanian All română Run now Dezintegrare alfa
Russian All русский Run now Альфа-распад
Serbian All Српски Run now АЛФА-РАСПАД
Sinhalese All Sinhalese Run now රැැැඑ
Slovak All Slovenčina Run now Rádioaktívny rozpad a alfa žiarenie
Slovenian All Slovenščina Run now Alfa razpad
Spanish All español Run now Desintegración Alfa Download teacher tips PDF
Spanish (Mexico) All español (México) Run now Radiación Alfa Download teacher tips PDF
Spanish (Peru) All español (Perú) Run now Desintegración Alfa
Swedish All svenska Run now Alfa-sönderfall
Tamil All Tamil Run now அல்பா தேய்வு
Thai All ไทย Run now การสลายตัวให้อนุภาคแอลฟา
Turkish All Türkçe Run now Alfa Bozunması
Turkmen All Turkmen Run now Alfa bölünme
Ukrainian All українська Run now Альфа випромінювання
Vietnamese All Tiếng Việt Run now Phóng xạ Alpha

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Design Team Third-party Libraries Thanks To
  • Wendy Adams
  • John Blanco (developer)
  • Ron LeMaster (developer)
  • Sam McKagan
  • Kathy Perkins
  • Noah Podolefsky
  • Carl Wieman
  • Interviewer: Wendy Adams
  • Interviewer: Danielle Harlow
  • Piccolo