Question

The half life of silicone-32 is 710 years. If 30 grams is present now, how much will be present in 300 years?

Answer 1

Answer:

22.38 g of silicone-32 will be present in 300 years.

Step-by-step explanation:

A radioactive half-life refers to the amount of time it takes for half of the original isotope to decay and its given by

                                           $N(t)=N_0(\frac{1}{2})^{\frac{t}{t_{1/2}}$

where,

$N(t)$ = quantity of the substance remaining

$N_0$ = initial quantity of the substance

$t$ = time elapsed

$t_{1/2}$ = half life of the substance

From the information given we know:

• The initial quantity of silicone-32 is 30 g.
• The time elapsed is 300 years.
• The half life of silicone-32 is 710 years.

So, to find the quantity of silicone-32 remaining we apply the above equation

$N(t)=30\left(\frac{1}{2}\right)^{\frac{300}{710}}=30\left(\frac{1}{2}\right)^{\frac{30}{71}}\approx22.38 \:g$

22.38 g of silicone-32 will be present in 300 years.