Problem 8 239 94 The radioisotope 22Pu has a half-life of 2.4 x 104 years. One sample has an initial activity of 15 uci. (Note that 1 Ci = 3.7 x 10¹0 Bq, and the mass of one proton or neutron is approximately 1.67 x 10-27 kg.) (a) What is the initial mass of the sample? (b) How many nuclei in this sample decay in the time interval between t = 6.0 x 10³ years and t = 8.0 x 10³ years?
Nuclear Fusion
Nuclear fusion is a type of nuclear reaction. In nuclear fusion, two or more than two lighter atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus. During this process, an enormous amount of energy is released. This energy is called nuclear energy. Nuclear fusion is the energy source of the sun and stars.
Fusion Bomb
A fusion bomb is also known as a thermonuclear bomb or hydrogen bomb which releases a large amount of explosive energy during a nuclear chain reaction when the lighter nuclei in it, combine to form heavier nuclei, and a large amount of radiation is released. It is an uncontrolled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction where isotopes of hydrogen combine under very high temperature to form helium. They work on the principle of operation of atomic fusion. The isotopes of Hydrogen are deuterium and tritium, where they combine their masses and have greater mass than the product nuclei, get heated at high temperatures, and releases energy.
All radioactive nuclei decay over time by various decay methods.
In the given problem, the radioisotope has a half life of 2.4 x 104 years. Half life is defined as the time at which half of the initial number of nuclei of the radioactive isotope decay.
Also, the initial activity of one sample of this radioisotope is given to be
From the given half life, the decay constant of the radioisotope is found as
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