asked 126k views
0 votes
The half-life for the decay of Th-234 is 24.1days. How much of a 576 mg sample of Th-234 remains after 145 days?

asked
User Barell
by
8.2k points

1 Answer

5 votes

Answer:

The decay of Th-234 follows the exponential decay model:

N(t) = N0 e^(-kt)

where

N0 = initial quantity of the substance

N(t) = quantity of the substance at time t

k = decay constant

t = time elapsed

The half-life of Th-234 is 24.1 days, which means that:

0.5N0 = N0 e^(-k*24.1)

Taking the natural logarithm of both sides gives:

ln(0.5) = -k*24.1

k = ln(0.5)/24.1

k = 0.0288 per day

After 145 days, the amount of Th-234 remaining can be calculated by:

N(145) = N0 e^(-0.0288*145)

N(145) = 576 mg * e^(-4.165)

N(145) = 576 mg * 0.0157

N(145) = 9.05 mg

Therefore, after 145 days, approximately 9.05 mg of Th-234 remains from the initial 576 mg sample.

answered
User Xiaolingxiao
by
8.2k points