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You are required to carry out the practical activity outlined in section 2

Physics

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You are required to carry out the practical activity outlined in section 2.2 of the study materials for this unit. You must then write up the experiment using the following headings:

Aim – a clear, brief statement of the purpose of this experiment.

Equipment – a list of the equipment used.

Method – provide a step by step description of how the experiment was carried out.

Results – document the results and observations from the experiment, including the table that you filled in for each part of the experiment.
Using an appropriate spreadsheet package, you should generate and include two graphs within your results:
1. Plot a graph of (N) against t.
2. Plot a graph ln(N) against t.

Discussion – discuss your results and explain why they support relevant theory. Comment on improvements that you feel could be made to the experiment.

Conclusion – summarise how the results from the experiment support or contradict the expectations/prediction of the experiment.

Within your write-up, you should answer the following questions:
1. Why is it appropriate to simulate the radioactive decay process by throwing dice in the experiment?
2. From your graph, find the ‘half-life’ of the decay.
3. From the shape of the graph, what can you conclude about radioactive decay?

GUIDANCE

Relevant theory must be referenced where appropriate and you must provide a references list and bibliography.

You must ensure that you have used the format provided and include the tables and graphs within the results section.

The write up of the experiment should be a maximum of 750 words in length.