Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi my name is Jake Rios and I would like to ask you a few questions for my science fair project.

1. What should I be looking for during the radioactive decay process?


2. what would you expect to see when you put in these isotopes in a cloud chamber? 210Pb and 241Am.



3.What enables you to see the decaying process in a cloud chamber?

Hi jakerios,

Welcome to the Ask an Expert forums. Many of your questions are answered in the "background" section of the project idea, which you can access here:

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... background

Briefly, however, here are some answers to your questions:

1). You should look for tracks in the cloud of vapor inside the chamber. Check out this YouTube video, which shows you what the tracks will look like (starting at about 3:08 into the video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pewTySxfTQk

2). 210Pb emits mostly beta particles. Occasionally it emits an alpha particle. 241Am primarily decays by emitting alpha particles. You will see tracks from both nuclides. Based on what the background information says, how do you think the width of 214Am tracks will compare to the widths of 210Pb tracks?

3). The background to the project idea explains this, but essentially the particles emitted by the nuclides ionize molecules in the vapor, which creates the tracks that you see.