Vol. 42 No. 2 (2025), Original Articles
Vol. 42 No. 2 (2025)

Demonstrative Teaching Experiment to Motivate the Study of Radioactivity with a Research Approach

Original Articles
Published 2025-12-15
J. B. Cruz-Arencibia
Departamento de Física, Universidad Tecnológica de La Habana José Antonio Echeverría (CUJAE), 19390 La Habana, Cuba
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4616-6992
J.J. Llovera-González
Departamento de Física, Universidad Tecnológica de la Habana José Antonio Echeverría (CUJAE), 19390 La Habana, Cuba
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5000-9562
A. D. Rodríguez-Llerena
Departamento de Física, Universidad Tecnológica de La Habana José Antonio Echeverría (CUJAE), 19390 La Habana, Cuba.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4045-5902
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Keywords

Demonstration experiments
general physics
Radioactive beams
physics education

How to Cite

(1)
Demonstrative Teaching Experiment to Motivate the Study of Radioactivity With a Research Approach. Rev. Cubana Fis. 2025, 42 (2), 103-108.
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Abstract

A demonstrative experiment on radioactivity is proposed, applying a research learning approach. The experiment utilizes a radioactive source (90Sr), Geiger-Müller counters, magnets, and electromagnets. Through heuristic discussion, students are guided to discover, among other things, the presence of electrically charged particles in the studied radioactive emission. The experiment was conducted one month before the students formally began their nuclear physics course, the final topic in the Physics 3 subject (Modern Physics) for engineering students. A survey conducted during the first few minutes of the lecture introducing the topic revealed that a high percentage of students recalled the fundamental characteristics of the radioactive decay process of the isotope under study.

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References

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