Tritium is a radioactive nucleide with a half life of 4500 days, determine the time for 90% of it to decay.

We know that the number of undecayed nuclei, N, is given by N=N0e-lambda t. From this, by setting N=N0/2 we know at this point that t= T0.5 (the half life) and can show that lambda =ln(2)/T0.5 . Hence we can calculate lambda as 1.54 x10-4 days-1. Now using the original form by setting N=0.1N0 we can get t = -ln(0.1)/lambda=14952 days.

LC
Answered by Luke C. Physics tutor

3194 Views

See similar Physics IB tutors

Related Physics IB answers

All answers ▸

What is energy


How do I use the conservation of linear momentum to solve problems?


What is the difference between the centripetal acceleration and the centrifugal force?


If a body is projected from the ground at the angle of 30 degrees to the horizontal with the initial velocity of 20 m/s, what maximum height and range is it going to reach?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences