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Exponential Decay A = Prt A radioactive isotope (Pu-243) has a half life of 5 hours. If we started with 88 grams: 1. the exponential rate would be _____ grams/hour (round to 5 decimal places) : 2. how much would be left in 1 day?_______ grams (round to the nearest hundredth - use your rounded value of k) 3. how long would it take to end up with 2 grams? _______ hours (round to the nearest tenth- use your rounded value of k)

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User Dech
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1. The exponential decay formula is A = Pe^(rt), where A is the amount of radioactive isotope, P is the initial amount, r is the decay rate, and t is the time in hours. The half-life of Pu-243 is 5 hours, which means that the decay rate is k = ln(1/2)/5 = -0.13863.

Substituting the given values, we get A = 88e^(-0.13863t). The decay rate is -0.13863 grams/hour (rounded to 5 decimal places).

2. To find how much would be left in 1 day, we can substitute t = 24 into the equation A = 88e^(-0.13863t). A = 88e^(-0.13863*24) = 6.91 grams (rounded to the nearest hundredth).

3. To find how long it would take to end up with 2 grams, we can set A = 2 in the equation A = 88e^(-0.13863t) and solve for t. 2 = 88e^(-0.13863t). Divide both sides by 88 to get e^(-0.13863t) = 0.02273. Take the natural logarithm of both sides to get -0.13863t = ln(0.02273). Divide both sides by -0.13863 to get t = 15.9 hours (rounded to the nearest tenth).
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User AnnW
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