Question

Place the 50 candies in the bag and seal it. Shake the bag for 10 seconds, and then open it and pour the candies out on a table. Remove all the candies that have the letters on them facing upward and leave the ones that have the letters facing downward. Eat the ones you removed, and count how many are left remaining on the table. Record this number in your data table in the whiteboard. Then calculate the percentage of candies remaining using the following formula:

% remaining = the number remaining /50 * 100

Answer 1

There's nothing really to figure out, just carry out the experiment.

Answer 2

sounds like you're doing a demonstration of nuclear decay and half-life

Answer 3

Now place the remaining candies back in the bag and seal and shake again for 10 seconds. Then do just as before and remove and eat all of the candies that have the letters facing upward but leave and count the ones that have the letters facing downward.

Repeat this process with your remaining candies until you have only two or three left, each time shaking the bag for 10 seconds and each time recording your data in the data table.

In the notes section of the whiteboard, explain how this activity demonstrates exponential decay. If this were radioactive decay, approximately what would be the half-life of your candy?

Answer 4

@aaronq

Answer 5

@JFraser

Answer 6

half-life is a measure of \(time\). How many seconds, or minutes, does it take in between shakes?