Question

Sodium-24 is a radioactive substance used for medical purposes. Suppose that a patient is injected with sodium-24 and the amount of sodium-24 in the patient’s body in milligrams after t hours is given by S(t) = 5e–0.35t. What is the half-life of sodium-24?

Answer 1

Answer: half life = 1.98 seconds

Explanation:

Given that the amount of sodium-24 in the patient’s body in milligrams after t hours is given by

S(t) = 5e–0.35t.

From the equation above, decay constant K = 0.35

Half life = ln2/K

Half life = ln2/ 0.35

Half life = 1.98 seconds