Answer:
So, you're dealing with a sample of cobalt-60. You know that cobalt-60 has a nuclear half-life of
5.30
years, and are interested in finding how many grams of the sample would remain after
1.00
year and
10.0
years, respectively.
A radioactive isotope's half-life tells you how much time is needed for an initial sample to be halved.
If you start with an initial sample
A
0
, then you can say that you will be left with
A
0
2
→
after one half-life passes;
A
0
2
⋅
1
2
=
A
0
4
→
after two half-lives pass;
A
0
4
⋅
1
2
=
A
0
8
→
after three half-lives pass;
A
0
8
⋅
1
2
=
A
0
16
→
after four half-lives pass;
⋮
Explanation:
now i know the answer
