(2) Potassium-Argon dating can be used to identify the age of things that are billions of years old. When 40K decays, it has two main decay paths. About 89.3% of the time, the 40K decays via B- decay. The other 10.7% of the time, it decays via electron capture. This process is used to identify something as being 6.93 × 10° years old. The half-life of potassium-40 is 1.248 x 10°y. (a) Write a complete decay equation for the 3 decay. (b) At the time of dating, what is the ratio of potassium atoms to argon atoms? (c) Which of 40 K, 40 Ar, or 40Ca has the lowest binding energy per nucleon? (d) Which of 40 K, 4º Ar, or 4ºCa has the lowest mass deficit?

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(2) Potassium-Argon dating can be used to identify the age of things that are billions of
years old. When 40 K decays, it has two main decay paths. About 89.3% of the time, the
40 K decays via B- decay. The other 10.7% of the time, it decays via electron capture.
This process is used to identify something as being 6.93 x 10° years old. The half-life of
potassium-40 is 1.248 × 10ºy.
(a) Write a complete decay equation for the B- decay.
(b) At the time of dating, what is the ratio of potassium atoms to argon atoms?
(c) Which of 40 K, 40 Ar, or 40Ca has the lowest binding energy per nucleon?
(d) Which of 40 K, 40 Ar, or 40Ca has the lowest mass deficit?
Transcribed Image Text:Afternoon (2) Potassium-Argon dating can be used to identify the age of things that are billions of years old. When 40 K decays, it has two main decay paths. About 89.3% of the time, the 40 K decays via B- decay. The other 10.7% of the time, it decays via electron capture. This process is used to identify something as being 6.93 x 10° years old. The half-life of potassium-40 is 1.248 × 10ºy. (a) Write a complete decay equation for the B- decay. (b) At the time of dating, what is the ratio of potassium atoms to argon atoms? (c) Which of 40 K, 40 Ar, or 40Ca has the lowest binding energy per nucleon? (d) Which of 40 K, 40 Ar, or 40Ca has the lowest mass deficit?
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