Glowing Uranium

by Ms. Borden

This week in my 8th Grade Physical Science Class, we were learning about isotopes and radiation. Students watched a short video about the “Radium Girls” and learned how some elements give off various amounts nuclear radiation. Mr. Pijanowski then came by our class to show us a cup that is made up of 2% Uranium. This cup is harmless in such small dosages (it emits about as much radiation as you would interact with on a plane) but has some interesting properties due to the uranium! The cup glows under a blacklight, and also emits small particles. Mr. Pijanowski also brought in a Geiger-Counter, a device that measure the number of particles emitting from the glass. It was great to see some of the real-world examples of radioactive elements in action!
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