HAMPTON SCHOOL

SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
LESSON PLAN PHYSICS
TEACHER: - ____________________________ CLASS: 11 Pool _______ DATES: September 17th, 2012 September 21st, 2012 DURATION: 1 week (six [6] sessions) (Total 3 hrs) SECTION F THE PHYSICS OF THE ATOM

TOPIC (S) Radioactivity and Half-Life; Nuclear Reactions GENERAL OBJECTIVE (S) Students should be able to: 1. Be familiar with the phenomenon of radioactivity. 2. Know that a change in the nuclear mass is associated with the release of energy. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE (S) Upon the completion of the lesson students should be able to: 1. Describe experiments to compare the ranges of , and emission in various media. 2. Describe the appearance of the tracks of radioactive emissions in a cloud chamber. 3. Predict the effects of magnetic and electric fields on the motion of and particles and rays. 4. Represent nuclear reactions in the standard form. 5. Describe an activity to demonstrate the random nature of radioactive decay. 6. Define the term half-life (T). 7. Use graphs to show that random decay processes have constant half-lives. 8. Solve simple problems involving half-life. 9. Discuss the useful applications of radioisotopes and the precautions to be taken when handling them. 10. Relate the release of energy in a nuclear reaction to a change in mass. 11. Cite arguments for and against the utilization of nuclear energy. 12. Work co-operatively in groups.

2 CONTENT SUMMARY Radioactivity By the end of the 1800s, it was known that certain isotopes emit penetrating rays. Three types of radiation were known: o Alpha particles o Beta particles o Gamma-rays Properties of Radioactive Emissions:

Penetration Power of Radioactive Emissions:

Effects of Electric and Magnetic Fields:

3 The tracks of radioactive emissions in a cloud chamber:

Radioactive Decay Equations: o decay:

92 238

U 90234Th + 24He + energy

14 7 N

o decay:
6 14

+ - 10e + energy

Al + + energy Half-Life: Radioactive decays are normally stated in terms of their half-lives. The radioactive half-life for a given radioisotope is the time for half the radioactive nuclei in any sample to undergo radioactive decay.
13 27 13 27

o - decay:

Al*

From the graph, random decay processes have constant half-lives. Applications and Hazards of Radioactivity Uses o Sterilization - Gamma rays are used to kill bacteria, mould and insects in food. This can be done even after the food has been packaged. It can affect the taste, but supermarkets like it because it lengthens the shelf life. Gamma rays are also used to kill bacteria on hospital equipment. It is particularly useful with plastic equipment that would be damaged by heat sterilization. o Radiotherapy - A carefully controlled beam of gamma rays can be used to kill cancer cells. It must be directed carefully to minimize the damage to normal cells. o Leak detection in pipes - The radioactive isotope is injected into the pipe. Then the outside of the pipe is checked with a Geiger-Muller detector, to find areas of high radioactivity. These are the points where the pipe is leaking. This is useful for underground pipes that are hard to get near.

4 o Nuclear Reactors - Nuclear reactors are devices that control fission reactions producing new substances from the fission product and energy. Nuclear power stations use uranium in fission reactions as a fuel to produce energy. Steam is generated by the heat released during the fission process. It is this steam that turns a turbine to produce electric energy. Hazards o If radiation is incident upon a living cell: Radiation can ionise cells which causes cellular damage. If the exposure is high, it can kill the cell. If the exposure is lower it can cause cancer. The higher the exposure, the higher the risk of cancer. Nuclear Energy Calculations Einsteins equation: E = mc2 is used to calculate the energy released when a nucleus becomes unstable and ejects a particle. This is due to a mass imbalance or mass defect. m is the mass difference between the parent nuclei and the daughters. The equation gives the energy released. Mass is converted into energy. Arguments for and Against the use of Nuclear Energy For o A large amount of energy is generated from a very small amount of fuel. o The fuel (nuclear fission) is readily available. o Nuclear power does not produce carbon dioxide or sulfur dioxide and so does not contribute to global warming or acid rain. Against o Poisonous waste is produced, some of which is highly radioactive. Disposal of this radioactive waste has not been safely achieved. Very long half-lives (thousands of years) mean that the waste will be a danger for an extremely long time. At present the most dangerous waste is sealed in glass-like blocks which are buried deep within "stable" rocks. Careless disposal of waste in the past has led to pollution of land, rivers and the ocean. o The power station is potentially dangerous to large areas of the planet. Despite reassurances from the nuclear industry that nuclear power is safe, serious accidents have happened and large areas have been contaminated with radioactivity. The power station is very expensive to build and to safely dismantle afterwards (called decommissioning). When the costs are taken into account, the electricity produced by the power station is relatively expensive. METHODOLOGY: MATERIALS a. Questioning and explanation Notes prepared by the teacher b. Lecture Past paper questions c. Guided discussion CSEC Physics syllabus d. Demonstration Physics for CXC Jackson and Whiteley e. Practical Heinemann Physics for CXC- Lambert and Lewis f. Cooperative learning Physics for CXC - Duncan and Onac Complete Physics Stephen Pople Physics for CXC John Avison CXC Physics Module #4 Multimedia Projector Laptop Computer

5 INTRODUCTION The students will make predictions about the behaviour of radioactive particles based on their properties. They will then watch a video and compare their predictions with the facts given in the video presentation. PROCEDURE/ PRESENTATION: Students will Write notes. Analyze concepts. Demonstrate simple experiments. Discuss past paper questions. Apply Physics principles to real life examples. Teacher will state clearly objectives above, provide notes, lecture and demonstrate Physics principles. CULMINATING ACTIVITY The students will: 1. Solve problems. 2. Draw and analyze graphs. EVALUATION 1 _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ EVALUATION 2 _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________