(a) The nuclideCm is produced as a byproduct in nuclear reactors. List its most likely decay path down to the essentially stable nuclide 20 Bi. What is the longest-lived (unstable) nuclide along this path? (b) If roughly equal total numbers of nuclides in the four decay series (A = 0,1,2,3 mod 4) were produced 1010 years ago in the supernova responsible for the matter that now constitutes the earth, what relative numbers of the longest- lived (but unstable) nuclides in each decay chain would one expect now?

(a) The nuclideCm is produced as a byproduct in nuclear reactors. List its most likely decay path down to the essentially stable nuclide 20 Bi. What is the longest-lived (unstable) nuclide along this path? (b) If roughly equal total numbers of nuclides in the four decay series (A = 0,1,2,3 mod 4) were produced 1010 years ago in the supernova responsible for the matter that now constitutes the earth, what relative numbers of the longest- lived (but unstable) nuclides in each decay chain would one expect now?