Radiometric Dating Phet Lab

Start Virtual Lab

RADIOmetric DATING

Question 1

1. Adjust the slider on the bucket to increase the nuclei.
2. Press play and watch the half-life graph.

Question 2

Step B

Step A

1. Click the 'Decay Rates' tab
2. Look at the half-life graph.

Carbon-14

1. Open the Virtual Lab by clicking the link on the homepage.
2. Click each footprint fossil to complete each section of the lab.
3. Answer all the questions for each section.

Directions

Objectives

• Explain the concept of half-life.

• Describe the process of decay, including how elements change and emit energy.

• Explain how radiometric dating works.

Introduction

Radioactive Decay

Radiometric Dating

Half-Life

Vocabulary

Question 1

Question 2

1. Click the rock and select a probe to use on it.
2. Find the one that measures the decay.

Step B

Step A

1. Click the 'measurement' tab.
2. Select a probe type to use on the tree.
3. Find the one that measures the decay.

Measurement

Hint: If both Carbon and Uranium do not work, click custom and try the other scales.

Question 1

Step A

1. Click the 'Dating Game' tab.
2. Click and drag the probe to the object you want to find the age of.
3. Select a probe type. (Carbon for living things, Uranium for rocks)
4. Drag the green arrows in the graph until you match the percentage in the probe box.
5. Input the age of each object and check your estimate to see if it is correct.

Dating Game

Question 1

Question 2

1. Adjust the slider on the bucket to increase the nuclei.
2. Press play and watch the half-life graph.

Step B

Step A

1. Click the 'Reset All' under the isotopes.
2. Select 'Uranium-238'

Uranium-238

P.S. Don't forget to turn in today's lesson in Edio.

You are ready to be a paleontologist!

All Done!