In this 5E sequence students model nuclear decay by emptying a bag of one hundred pennies on a table and removing all the pennies that are on the tails side (or that have decayed). Students repeat this process with remaining non-decayed pennies several times and record the data. Then students make connections to a radiometric dating and calculate the age of several objects using nuclear decay data. Finally, students elaborate on their learning so far in the unit by completing a 3-level guide that supports them in reading and interpreting the Geologic Time Scale found in the Earth Science Reference Table.
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