Question
upstudy study bank question image url

The half-life of a particular radioactive substance is 1 year. If you started with 40 grams of this substance, how much of it would remain after 3 years? Remaining Amount = \( I(1-r)^{t} \) [?] grams Round your answer to the nearest whole number.

Ask by Coles Zimmerman. in the United States
Jan 24,2025

Real Tutor Solution

Tutor-Verified Answer

Answer

After 3 years, 5 grams of the substance remain.

Solution

To determine the remaining amount of the radioactive substance after 3 years, we'll use the given formula: \[ \text{Remaining Amount} = I(1 - r)^t \] **Where:** - \( I = 40 \) grams (initial amount) - \( r \) is the decay rate - \( t = 3 \) years (time elapsed) ### Step 1: Determine the Decay Rate (\( r \)) Since the half-life is 1 year, after each year, half of the substance remains. This means: \[ (1 - r) = \frac{1}{2} \] Solving for \( r \): \[ r = 1 - \frac{1}{2} = \frac{1}{2} \] ### Step 2: Calculate the Remaining Amount Plugging the values into the formula: \[ \text{Remaining Amount} = 40 \left(\frac{1}{2}\right)^3 = 40 \times \frac{1}{8} = 5 \text{ grams} \] ### Final Answer **5 grams** of the substance will remain after 3 years.

Reviewed and approved by the UpStudy tutoring team

error msg
Explain
Simplify this solution

Bonus Knowledge

After 3 years, the substance will have undergone three half-lives since the half-life is 1 year. Each half-life will halve the amount of the substance: 1st year: 40 grams → 20 grams 2nd year: 20 grams → 10 grams 3rd year: 10 grams → 5 grams So, after 3 years, you will have approximately 5 grams of the radioactive substance remaining. Looking at real-life examples, understanding half-lives helps us grasp many scientific fields such as archaeology, where carbon dating uses the concept to determine the age of ancient artifacts, or medical applications in assessing the decay of radioactive tracers used in imaging techniques. It's fascinating how this fundamental concept has practical implications! On another note, when tackling half-life problems, a common mistake is forgetting to count the number of half-lives correctly or miscalculating the remaining amount at each stage. A great tip is to remember that the amount decreases exponentially; using a diagram can help visualize the decay process!

Related Questions

Try Premium now!
Try Premium and ask Thoth AI unlimited math questions now!
Maybe later Go Premium
Study can be a real struggle
Why not UpStudy it?
Select your plan below
Premium

You can enjoy

Start now
  • Step-by-step explanations
  • 24/7 expert live tutors
  • Unlimited number of questions
  • No interruptions
  • Full access to Answer and Solution
  • Full Access to PDF Chat, UpStudy Chat, Browsing Chat
Basic

Totally free but limited

  • Limited Solution
Welcome to UpStudy!
Please sign in to continue the Thoth AI Chat journey
Continue with Email
Or continue with
By clicking “Sign in”, you agree to our Terms of Use & Privacy Policy