In: Physics
4. Thorium-229 is used in cancer treatment. It has a half-life of 7340 years.
a) What type of radioactive decay would you expect Thorium-229 to undergo? Explain your answer in 1-2 sentences.
b) Write a balanced nuclear reaction for the decay that you predicted in part a.
c) Suppose a patient is given 15.0 μg of Th-229 for cancer treatment. What is the activity of this Th-229 in Ci?
d) If the patient in part c) weighs 65 kg, what dose of radiation do they receive (in rem) from the Th-229 over the course of one day? Assume that each decay event produces 8.01 x 10-13 J of energy and that the R.B.E. is 20.