Nuclear remote online Laboratory (FarLabs)
Freely Accessible Remote Laboratories (FarLabs) have developed a nuclear remote online laboratory that schools can use to perform experiments with nuclear radiation.
The “Turntable” experiment illustrates the penetrating power of different forms of radiation. Students can choose to pair one of four sources (alpha, beta, gamma, and unknown) with one of five absorbers, including no absorber at all. A live data feed shows the count rate from a Geiger counter placed above the selected radioactive source.
The "Inverse Square Law" experiment demonstrates how the amount of radiation decreases with increasing distance from a radiation source. Students can access a live data feed showing the count rate from a Geiger counter placed at a selected distance away from a radiation source.
Teachers need to register using this link before using the remote laboratory. Please direct all enquiries to p.atsikidis@latrobe.edu.au.
We highly recommend testing this remote laboratory on your school’s equipment before planning a lesson with your class.
The FarLabs project is led by the Department of Physics at La Trobe University in collaboration with James Cook University, Curtin University, Quantum Victoria, V3 Alliance, and ANSTO.