The Candy Decay Game
Become a scientist and watch atoms disappear — with candy!
Radioactive atoms break down slowly over time, but it is hard to see because it happens so tiny and so fast. With candy, you can pretend each piece is an atom and watch them “decay” one by one.
What You Will Need:
100 small candies (like M&Ms or Skittles)
A cup or container
A flat surface
Paper and pencil to record your results
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Put all your candies in the cup.
Shake them, then pour them onto the table.
Take away every candy with the marked side facing up (like the “M”).
Count how many are left and write it down.
Put the rest back in the cup and do it again! Repeat until there are none.
What to Look For:
Does the number go down the same way every time?
What shape do you think your graph would make?
What does this tell us about how radioactive atoms behave?
Curie Fun Fact!
Marie Curie discovered that radioactive atoms decay on their own — she even came up with the word "radioactivity."
Safety Tip:
Use clean hands and do not eat any candy you dropped during the experiment!
Track Your Candy Decay!
Trial Number: ____________
Candies Left: ________________
What I Noticed: ______________________
Sketch: [Draw a graph of your results]
