SOLUTION: Scientist made 160mg of radioactive sodium and found that there was only 20mg left 45 hours later. What is the half life of the radioactive sodium?

Algebra.Com
Question 1192835: Scientist made 160mg of radioactive sodium and found that there was only 20mg left 45 hours later. What is the half life of the radioactive sodium?
Answer by ikleyn(52781)   (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
.
Scientist made 160mg of radioactive sodium and found that there was only 20mg left 45 hours later.
What is the half life of the radioactive sodium?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Notice that the mass ratio "then" and "originally" is

     =  = .


It means that 45 hours is three half-lives, so the half-life is  45/3 = 15 hours.    ANSWER

Solved.

---------------------

On radioactive decay,  see the lesson
    - Radioactive decay problems
in this site.

You will find many similar  (and different)  solved problems there.


        Use this lesson as your handbook,  textbook,  guide,  tutorials, and  (free of charge)  home teacher.
        Learn the subject from there once and for all.


Also,  you have this free of charge online textbook in  ALGEBRA-I  in this site
    - ALGEBRA-I - YOUR ONLINE TEXTBOOK.

The referred lesson is the part of this online textbook under the topic "Logarithms".


Save the link to this online textbook together with its description

Free of charge online textbook in ALGEBRA-I
https://www.algebra.com/algebra/homework/quadratic/lessons/ALGEBRA-I-YOUR-ONLINE-TEXTBOOK.lesson

to your archive and use it when it is needed.




RELATED QUESTIONS

A research person made 160 mg of radioactive sodium and found that there was only 20 mg... (answered by ikleyn)
A research assistant made 160 mg of radioactive sodium (Na^24) and found that there was... (answered by josgarithmetic)
Steven absurd some red dye to turn himself red for Valentine's day. If the half-life of... (answered by KMST)
A radioactive element sodium-24 has a half-life of 14 hours and is used to help locate... (answered by stanbon)
A research assistant made 160 mg of a radioactive substance, and found that there was... (answered by josgarithmetic)
find the half-life (in hours) of a radioactive substance that is reduced by 25 percent in (answered by josgarithmetic)
Sodium-24 is a radioactive isotope of sodium that is used to study circulatory... (answered by josgarithmetic)
Hello I really need help with this word problem a radioactive isotope decays... (answered by josgarithmetic)
A radioactive substance has a half-life of 3.5 days. A scientist starts with 80 grams of... (answered by stanbon)