A Remote Radioactivity Experiment

Abstract

Imagine a high school with very few experimental resources and limited budgets that prevent the purchase of even basic laboratory equipment. For example, many high schools do not have the means of experimentally studying radioactivity because they lack Geiger counters and/or good radioactive sources. This was the case at the first high school one of us (MV) worked at, and after talking with numerous colleagues we know this is still the case at many schools. What options are there then for physics teachers to allow their students to experimentally investigate certain characteristics of radioactivity, such as how distance affects the intensity of radiation coming from a radioactive source? There are computer simulations that can be run, or perhaps the teacher has a light sensor and tries to make an analogy between the intensity of light from a light bulb and the intensity of radiation from a radioactive source based on geometric arguments to get an inverse-square law. But for many there is no direct experimental option if one does not possess a Geiger counter and good radioactive sample. It is for that teacher and class of students that an online, remote radioactivity experiment was created.

Technology-enhanced science learning through remote laboratory: System design and pilot implementation in tertiary education

“…• iLabs (Jona, Roque, Skolnik, Uttal, & Rapp, 2011;Sauter, Uttal, Rapp, Downing, & Jona, 2013) • the remote radioactivity experiment initiated by Jona and Vondracek (2013) • VISIR (Virtual Instrument Systems in Reality) introduced by Gustavsson et al (2009) and Tawfik et al (2013) • iSES (internet Schools Experiment System) for related physics experiments created by Schauer, Lustig, Dvořák, and Ožvoldová (2008) • Labshare project (Lowe, Newcombe, & Stumpers, 2013).…”

Designing remote labs for broader adoption

“…In addition students have the ability to run multiple experiments, which is usually not an option due to the time constraints of completing a laboratory exercise in the time allotted during the school day. This allows students to learn how to better design an experiment that will answer the research question that they have constructed through comparing their results from multiple trials, reflecting upon those results, and drawing conclusions [12].…”

“…A previous effort [12] worked with instructors to develop five different high school laboratory activities based on a Geiger counter instrument made remotely accessible at the University of Queensland in Australia. Lab investigations were tailored for physics, chemistry, biology, and math courses.…”

Getting real: the authenticity of remote labs and simulations for science learning

“…Our experiment utilized the Radioactivity iLab from http://www.iLabCentral.org, a website that provides access to remote online lab devices around the world (Jona & Vondracek, 2013). The Radioactivity iLab lesson includes a multistep, interactive online application that allows participants to perform an experiment pertaining to radioactivity.…”