Question

In: Physics

Radioactive decay can be used to determine the age of an object. If you know the...

Radioactive decay can be used to determine the age of an object. If you know the number of radioactive nuclei with which an object started, the number of radioactive nuclei currently present, and the half-life of the isotope, you can calculate the time since the object was created.
Suppose an object was created with 4.810×109 nuclei of a particular isotope that has a half-life of 1.56×103 yr. At this point in time 9.620×108 nuclei of this particular isotope remain. What is the age of the object?

Tries 0/10

Since the activity (decay rate) of an isotope is proportional to the number of nuclei, you can use a very similar method to determine the age of an object using the activity.
Suppose that at the time of creation an object had an activity of 3.820×101 Bq due to a particular isotope that has a half-life of 2.73×103 yr. At this point in time the object has an activity of 4.966 Bq due to this particular isotope. What is the age of the object?

Tries 0/10

Solutions

Expert Solution

Number of radioactive nuclei at time is

Decay constant

Number of nuclei at time is

Initial number of nuclei ,

Age of the object is

-------------------------------------------

Activity of an isotope at time is

Decay constant

Initial activity of isotope  

Activity of isotope at time is

Age of object is

-------------------------------------------------


Related Solutions

We will be exploring decay reactions used in radioactive dating of objects. This will be a...
We will be exploring decay reactions used in radioactive dating of objects. This will be a short lab to leave you time to prepare for the Unit 3 project. 1. Explore the PhET simulation Radioactive Dating Game . Try all the tabs to figure out why there is more than one element used to estimate how old things might be. 2. What elements’ isotopes are used to estimate how old something is? Why do are more than one type used?...
Radioactive Decay Objective: to study the radioactive decay of materials. Understand the  concept of half life and...
Radioactive Decay Objective: to study the radioactive decay of materials. Understand the  concept of half life and randomness of the radioactive decay Run the case of H3 decay to He3: Go to “Multiple Atoms” tab Start with 80 atoms by clicking on the bucket. Start running and record the time when the number of H3 is changing to 40, 20, 10, and 5.This is accumulative time Repeat the above step 5 times and average them (below is an example of table...
Determine the type of radioactive decay that corresponds to the given combination of Parent and Daughter...
Determine the type of radioactive decay that corresponds to the given combination of Parent and Daughter Nuclei. Use the web or your book to a find a copy of the periodic table to help with this problem. Alpha Decay, Beta+ Decay, Beta- Decay, Gamma Decay  Parent: 206Ra, Daughter: 202Rn Alpha Decay, Beta+ Decay, Beta- Decay, Gamma Decay  Parent: 8B, Daughter: 8Be Alpha Decay, Beta+ Decay, Beta- Decay, Gamma Decay  Parent: 6He, Daughter: 6Li Alpha Decay, Beta+ Decay, Beta- Decay, Gamma Decay  Parent: 40Ca, Daughter:...
Choose an isotope and describe its radioactive decay process and how it is used
Choose an isotope and describe its radioactive decay process and how it is used
Choose an isotope and describe its radioactive decay process and how it is used. Write a...
Choose an isotope and describe its radioactive decay process and how it is used. Write a minimum of 150 words.
Given a radioactive nucleus with decay constant lambda and total cross section Ot, determine the condition...
Given a radioactive nucleus with decay constant lambda and total cross section Ot, determine the condition for which the nucleus will most likely decay before it has a collision with a neutron, if it is irradiated by a neutron beam with intensity Io [neutrons/cm^2-s].
Match the number of protons and neutrons with the type of radioactive decay you would predict...
Match the number of protons and neutrons with the type of radioactive decay you would predict it to exhibit. 83 protons,125 neutrons 83 protons,126 neutrons 83 protons, 127 neutrons 84 protons, 126 neutrons _____ A. positron emission B. alpha decay C. this atom is predicted to be stable D. beta decay
If a substance is radioactive, this means that the nucleus is unstable and will therefore decay...
If a substance is radioactive, this means that the nucleus is unstable and will therefore decay by any number of processes (alpha decay, beta decay, etc.). The decay of radioactive elements follows first-order kinetics. Therefore, the rate of decay can be described by the same integrated rate equations and half-life equations that are used to describe the rate of first-order chemical reactions: lnAtA0=−kt and t1/2=0.693k where A0 is the initial amount or activity, At is the amount or activity at...
The radioactive decay of radium 226Ra follows a first-order rate law. This decay process has a...
The radioactive decay of radium 226Ra follows a first-order rate law. This decay process has a half-life of 1600 years. (a). What is the value of the rate constant (expressed in s-1) for this decay process? (b). How many disintegrations per second would occur in a one-gram sample of 226Ra ?
What is the difference between a transmutation reaction and a radioactive decay reaction?
What is the difference between a transmutation reaction and a radioactive decay reaction?
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT