1. Background radiation impacts the decay totals of particles we’re recording.  This number raises the total decays per set interval that we measure so we subtract this from our recordings.
2. Background radiation is the decay of naturally occurring isotopes of elements.
3. The peak count was 5 with a mean of 2.6, a median of 3 and a standard deviation of 1.1
4. The mean and median are within about .4.  This is found back subtracting the larger from the smaller of the two.
5. The graph looks like a bell curve.
6. It’s called a Gaussian distribution
7. It’s probability driven and more likely to occur at a maximum value.
8. Yes, because it follows the Uncertainty Principal.  We don’t know how much energy these particles have, just a range of what they could be so we have to wait for one to decay to know, but it never follows a pattern.
9.  The Full Width Half Max shows the average amount of decays that will occur within the time frame of the sampling.

10. No, the Uncertainty Principal dictates that we can never know exactly when the particle will decay, but as a whole mass of particles can be predicted when X may will have decayed, never which exactly though.

11. Yes it is possible of none have the energy to decay at that time span

12. Yes, the nuclei may all have the required energy at that moment of time span

13.  No, the half-life of the sample would be the same but since much more of the element would have decayed, we would be recording far less particles giving a smaller likely hood of decaying in our recording intervals.

14.  No because the device only picks up particles from the decays that reach the sensors.  No energy is put into the decaying element from the sensors during the elapsed time.

15. No, not all of them, because we also have background radiation being detected by our device.  These extra recordings raise the overall decay count of the sample.

16.   The average is the highest right at the beginning of collection in the first 30 seconds to a minute, but afterward, the average and standard deviation stay within about 1 from then on.

17.   The farther away we read the decays, the less we would record because less of the particles given off by the decays would reach our device we are using to record the decays because the detection of a particle means a decay occurred.