QuestionFind the half-life of a radioactive substance with a decay rate of per day using continuous exponential decay.
Studdy Solution
STEP 1
Assumptions1. The decay of the substance is continuous and exponential.
. The decay rate parameter is per day.
3. We are asked to find the half-life of the substance, which is the time it takes for half of the substance to decay.
STEP 2
The continuous exponential decay model can be represented by the equationwhere- is the amount of substance remaining after time , - is the initial amount of the substance, - is the decay rate parameter, - is the base of the natural logarithm (approximately equal to2.71828), - is the time elapsed.
STEP 3
We need to find the time when . This is the definition of half-life. Substituting these values into the decay model equation, we get
STEP 4
We can simplify this equation by dividing both sides by , which gives
STEP 5
To solve for , we can take the natural logarithm of both sides of the equation. This gives
STEP 6
Using the property of logarithms that , we can simplify the right side of the equation
STEP 7
To isolate , we can divide both sides of the equation by . This gives
STEP 8
Now, plug in the given value for to calculate the half-life. Remember to convert the percentage to a decimal value.
STEP 9
Calculate the half-life of the substance.
The half-life of the substance is approximately16.09 days.
Was this helpful?