Chapter 1: Problem 10
A radioactive material, such as the isotope thorium- \(234,\) disintegrates at a rate proportional to the amount currently present. If \(Q(t)\) is the amount present at time \(t,\) then \(d Q / d t=-r Q\) where \(r>0\) is the decay rate. (a) If \(100 \mathrm{mg}\) of thorium- 234 decays to \(82.04 \mathrm{mg}\) in 1 week, determine the decay rate \(r\). (b) Find an expression for the amount of thorium- 234 present at any time \(t .\) (c) Find the time required for the thorium- 234 to decay to one-half its original amount.
Short Answer
Step by step solution
Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.