Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay Lab

Students trace the U-238 decay series, measure half-life, test shielding, find binding energy and balance a reactor.

Grades 11–12Virtual lab · 5 stations1 student per deviceNo student loginsWorks offline

$8Buy Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay Lab ▶ Play the free demo

Try it free: the demo opens the Start page and Station 1 right in your browser. No sign-up needed.

Virtual labs are sold separately and aren’t part of the All-Access licenses.

Screenshot of Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay Lab

Grade level

Grades 11–12: Quantitative nuclear models with random decay data, counting noise, atomic masses and reactor generations

What students practice

Alpha and beta decay with conservation of A and Z, half-life and decay constant, alpha, beta and gamma shielding, inverse-square law, mass defect and binding energy, chain reactions

Standards

NGSS: HS-ESS1-6 · HS-PS1-8 · HS-PS3-1 · HS-PS4-5

How it works

Open the game file in any web browser: Chromebooks, laptops or your smartboard. No accounts, no student logins and no internet needed once it's downloaded.
Each student types their name on the Start page, then works through the stations in order. Each station has a prediction, a hands-on activity, a data table or log that fills in as they work and a check question.
Students finish with a printable lab report (print or save as PDF). The Teacher Notes include the standards, a full answer key and a reset button for shared devices.
Each purchase includes the lab file and a one-page Quick Start guide.