Chapter 11, Problem 11.35EP

Interpretation Introduction

Interpretation:

Number of half-lives that are elapsed has to be calculated from the given diagram where silicon-34 decays to phosphorus-34.

Concept Introduction:

Radioactive nuclides undergo disintegration by emission of radiation.  All the radioactive nuclide do not undergo the decay at a same rate.  Some decay rapidly and others decay very slowly.  The nuclear stability can be quantitatively expressed by using the half-life.

The time required for half quantity of the radioactive substance to undergo decay is known as half-life.  It is represented as $t_{1/2}$.

The equation that relates amount of decayed radioactive material, amount of undecayed radioactive material and the time elapsed can be given as,

$\left(\begin{array}{l}\text{Amount}\text{of}\text{radionuclide}\\ \text{undecayed}\text{after}n\text{half}\text{lives}\end{array}\right)\text{= }\left(\begin{array}{l}\text{Original}\text{amount}\\ \text{of}\text{radionuclide}\end{array}\right)\text{ x }\left(\frac{\text{1}}{{\text{2}}^n}\right)$