Overhead Isotope Detector—Demonstration Kit

Product Details

Except for a very few elements, no atoms of any element have the atomic mass listed in the periodic table. This is due to the existence of isotopes. In this demonstration with an overhead projector, steel spheres are magnetically separated by mass to simulate isotope separation. Based on the unique path of each sphere, students make calculations to determine mass ratios of the sphere “isotopes” and the average atomic mass of the spheres. Enough reusable materials are included to perform the demonstration an unlimited number of times.Concepts: Indirect measurement, atomic structure, inference. Time Required: 20 minutes Materials Provided: Picture frame and glass, neodymium magnets, launching ramp, glass marble, steel spheres, marking pen.