I need to know the number of years! There is only one part to this question. The pictures show the "Figure" and "Bar charts" tabs and the "Graph" tab says this: A curve showing the percentage of radioactive atoms remaining in a mineral sample is graphed on a coordinate plane. The horizontal axis, labeled "Age in half-lives," ranges from 0 to 6. The vertical axis, labeled "Percentage remaining," ranges from 0 to 100. The curve enters the viewing field with a negative slope at (0, 100). The magnitude of the negative slope is progressively reduced such that it is nearly horizontal as it exits the viewing field at (6, 0.02). Thank you!!

icon
Related questions
Question
100%

I need to know the number of years! There is only one part to this question. The pictures show the "Figure" and "Bar charts" tabs and the "Graph" tab says this:

A curve showing the percentage of radioactive atoms remaining in a mineral sample is graphed on a coordinate plane.

  • The horizontal axis, labeled "Age in half-lives," ranges from 0 to 6.
  • The vertical axis, labeled "Percentage remaining," ranges from 0 to 100.
  • The curve enters the viewing field with a negative slope at (0, 100). The magnitude of the negative slope is progressively reduced such that it is nearly horizontal as it exits the viewing field at (6, 0.02).

Thank you!!

### Text Transcription for an Educational Website:

**Question:**
A sample from a meteorite that landed on Earth has been analyzed, and the result shows that out of every 1,000 nuclei of potassium-40 originally in the meteorite, only 125 are still present, meaning they have not yet decayed. How old is the meteorite (in yr)? *(Hint: See the figure below.)* *(Note: The half-life of potassium-40 is 1.3 billion years.)*

---

### Graph Explanation:

The graph illustrates the decay process of a mineral sample containing radioactive atoms (represented as red circles), which decay into daughter atoms (represented as blue circles).

- **X-Axis:** Represents the age in half-lives.
- **Y-Axis:** Represents the percentage of radioactive atoms remaining.

#### Stages of Decay Illustrated:

1. **100% Original Sample:**
   - No decay has occurred.
   - 100% radioactive atoms, 0% daughter atoms.

2. **After 1 Half-Life:**
   - 50% of the radioactive atoms remain.
   - 50% have decayed into daughter atoms.

3. **After 2 Half-Lives:**
   - 25% of the radioactive atoms remain.
   - 75% have formed daughter atoms.

4. **After 3 Half-Lives:**
   - 12.5% of the radioactive atoms remain.
   - 87.5% have become daughter atoms.

The curve on the graph represents the exponential decay of the radioactive atoms over time.

**Calculation:**
Since 125 out of 1,000 nuclei remain, that represents 12.5%, which corresponds to 3 half-lives.

**Conversion to Years:**
\[ 3 \text{ half-lives} \times 1.3 \text{ billion years/half-life} = 3.9 \text{ billion years} \]

Therefore, the meteorite is approximately **3.9 billion years old**.

---

**Answer:**
__$3.9$ billion yr__
Transcribed Image Text:### Text Transcription for an Educational Website: **Question:** A sample from a meteorite that landed on Earth has been analyzed, and the result shows that out of every 1,000 nuclei of potassium-40 originally in the meteorite, only 125 are still present, meaning they have not yet decayed. How old is the meteorite (in yr)? *(Hint: See the figure below.)* *(Note: The half-life of potassium-40 is 1.3 billion years.)* --- ### Graph Explanation: The graph illustrates the decay process of a mineral sample containing radioactive atoms (represented as red circles), which decay into daughter atoms (represented as blue circles). - **X-Axis:** Represents the age in half-lives. - **Y-Axis:** Represents the percentage of radioactive atoms remaining. #### Stages of Decay Illustrated: 1. **100% Original Sample:** - No decay has occurred. - 100% radioactive atoms, 0% daughter atoms. 2. **After 1 Half-Life:** - 50% of the radioactive atoms remain. - 50% have decayed into daughter atoms. 3. **After 2 Half-Lives:** - 25% of the radioactive atoms remain. - 75% have formed daughter atoms. 4. **After 3 Half-Lives:** - 12.5% of the radioactive atoms remain. - 87.5% have become daughter atoms. The curve on the graph represents the exponential decay of the radioactive atoms over time. **Calculation:** Since 125 out of 1,000 nuclei remain, that represents 12.5%, which corresponds to 3 half-lives. **Conversion to Years:** \[ 3 \text{ half-lives} \times 1.3 \text{ billion years/half-life} = 3.9 \text{ billion years} \] Therefore, the meteorite is approximately **3.9 billion years old**. --- **Answer:** __$3.9$ billion yr__
**Bar Charts Explanation:**

Four bar charts, positioned above a graph, illustrate the percentages of radioactive and daughter atoms in a mineral sample at specific points along the curve:

- **Point (0, 100):** 100% of the atoms are radioactive.
- **Point (1, 50):** The bar chart, labeled "1/2 remain," indicates that 50% of the atoms are radioactive, while 50% are daughter atoms.
- **Point (2, 25):** The bar chart, labeled "1/4 remain," indicates that 25% of the atoms are radioactive, and 75% are daughter atoms.
- **Point (3, 12.5):** The bar chart, labeled "1/8 remain," indicates that 12.5% of the atoms are radioactive, and 87.5% are daughter atoms.

These bar charts visually represent the decay process, showing how the proportion of radioactive atoms decreases over time, transforming into daughter atoms.
Transcribed Image Text:**Bar Charts Explanation:** Four bar charts, positioned above a graph, illustrate the percentages of radioactive and daughter atoms in a mineral sample at specific points along the curve: - **Point (0, 100):** 100% of the atoms are radioactive. - **Point (1, 50):** The bar chart, labeled "1/2 remain," indicates that 50% of the atoms are radioactive, while 50% are daughter atoms. - **Point (2, 25):** The bar chart, labeled "1/4 remain," indicates that 25% of the atoms are radioactive, and 75% are daughter atoms. - **Point (3, 12.5):** The bar chart, labeled "1/8 remain," indicates that 12.5% of the atoms are radioactive, and 87.5% are daughter atoms. These bar charts visually represent the decay process, showing how the proportion of radioactive atoms decreases over time, transforming into daughter atoms.
Expert Solution
trending now

Trending now

This is a popular solution!

steps

Step by step

Solved in 2 steps with 2 images

Blurred answer