In this earth science lab, students will flip M&Ms/Skittles to help them gain a better understanding as to what absolute dating is. Students will learn what radioactive elements are and how scientists use this understanding to give an age to rocks and fossils. Students will create a spreadsheet and create a graph that will visually demonstrate the half-life of Carbon 14. There are 6 word problems that they will analyze to help them understand how to use a half-life graph. Students will also get an opportunity to reinforce their understanding of probabilities when trying to find the theoretical value for half-life. Teacher notes, reflections, and answer key are all part of this package.
