Analysis 1. Examine the "Half-life of Carbon-14" graph. Compare the graph you have made for pennies with the one for carbon-14. Explain any similarities that you see. Grams of carbon-14 Half-life of Carbon-14 100 50 25 12.5 6.25 0 1 2 3 Number of half-lives (5,730) 2. Recall that the probability of landing "heads" in a coin toss is 1/2. Use this information to explain why the remaining number of pennies is reduced by about half each time they are shaken and tossed.

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The Half-life of Pennies Lab Can you use pennies to demonstrate "decay?
Imagine existing more than 5,000 years and still having more than 5,000 to go! That is exactly what the
unstable element carbon-14 does. Carbon-14 is a special unstable element used in the absolute dating
of material that was once alive, such as fossil bones. Every 5,730 years, half of the carbon-14 in a fossil
specimen decays or breaks down into a more stable element. In the following lab you will see how
pennies can show the same kind of "decay."
Materials • 100 pennies • large container with a cover
Procedure a. Place 100 pennies in a large, covered container. Shake the container several times and
remove the cover. Carefully empty the container on a flat surface, making sure the pennies don't roll
away. b. Remove all the coins that have the "head" side of the coin turned upward. Record the number
of pennies removed and the number of pennies remaining in the data table below.
Shake number
Number of
coins removed
Number of
coins remaining
3
5
6
7
8
9
Data Table
c. Repeat the process until no pennies are left in the container. Remember to remove only the coins
showing "heads." d. Draw a graph to plot your data. Label the x-axis “Number of shakes," and label the
y-axis "Pennies remaining." Using data from your data table, plot the number of coins remaining at each
shake.
Transcribed Image Text:The Half-life of Pennies Lab Can you use pennies to demonstrate "decay? Imagine existing more than 5,000 years and still having more than 5,000 to go! That is exactly what the unstable element carbon-14 does. Carbon-14 is a special unstable element used in the absolute dating of material that was once alive, such as fossil bones. Every 5,730 years, half of the carbon-14 in a fossil specimen decays or breaks down into a more stable element. In the following lab you will see how pennies can show the same kind of "decay." Materials • 100 pennies • large container with a cover Procedure a. Place 100 pennies in a large, covered container. Shake the container several times and remove the cover. Carefully empty the container on a flat surface, making sure the pennies don't roll away. b. Remove all the coins that have the "head" side of the coin turned upward. Record the number of pennies removed and the number of pennies remaining in the data table below. Shake number Number of coins removed Number of coins remaining 3 5 6 7 8 9 Data Table c. Repeat the process until no pennies are left in the container. Remember to remove only the coins showing "heads." d. Draw a graph to plot your data. Label the x-axis “Number of shakes," and label the y-axis "Pennies remaining." Using data from your data table, plot the number of coins remaining at each shake.
d. Plot your data on the following graph. Label the x-axis "Number of shakes," and label the y-axis
"Pennies remaining." Using data from your data table, plot the number of coins remaining at each
shake. The grid has 25 squares vertically, so each square counts as 4 pennies.
100
50 -
4
x label:
X-Y plot of number of pennies remaining (Y) versus the number of shakes (X)
Half-life of Carbon-14
Analysis 1. Examine the "Half-life of Carbon-14" graph. Compare
100
the graph you have made for pennies with the one for carbon-14.
Explain any similarities that you see.
50
25
12.5
6.25
01 2 3 4 5
Number of half-lives (5,730)
2. Recall that the probability of landing "heads" in a coin toss is 1/2.
Use this information to explain why the remaining number of pennies is reduced by about half each time
they are shaken and tossed.
y label:
Grams of carbon-14
Transcribed Image Text:d. Plot your data on the following graph. Label the x-axis "Number of shakes," and label the y-axis "Pennies remaining." Using data from your data table, plot the number of coins remaining at each shake. The grid has 25 squares vertically, so each square counts as 4 pennies. 100 50 - 4 x label: X-Y plot of number of pennies remaining (Y) versus the number of shakes (X) Half-life of Carbon-14 Analysis 1. Examine the "Half-life of Carbon-14" graph. Compare 100 the graph you have made for pennies with the one for carbon-14. Explain any similarities that you see. 50 25 12.5 6.25 01 2 3 4 5 Number of half-lives (5,730) 2. Recall that the probability of landing "heads" in a coin toss is 1/2. Use this information to explain why the remaining number of pennies is reduced by about half each time they are shaken and tossed. y label: Grams of carbon-14
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