Answer:
1 grams Mercury-197
Step-by-step explanation:
From the question,
The radioisotope is Mercury-197
The half life of Mercury-197 is 3 days
Starting mass is 32 grams
Time taken is 15 days
We are required to calculate the final mass of the radioisotope after 15 days.
- Note that, half life is the time taken by radioisotope to decay by half its original amount.
- In this case, the half life of mercury-197 is 3 days, therefore, it takes three days for a mass of mercury-197 to decay by half its original mass.
Therefore, using the formula;
Final amount = Starting mass × (1/2)^n
where n is the number of half-lives (ratio of time to half life)
In our case, n = 15 days ÷ 3 days
= 5
Therefore;
Final mass = 32 g × (1/2)^5
= 32 g × 1/32
= 1 g
Therefore, the amount of mercury-197 in the shipment that will arrive is 1 g.