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Unit conversion with exponential decay: The exponential function \(N=500 \times 0.68^{t}\), where \(t\) is measured in years, shows the amount, in grams, of a certain radioactive substance present. a. Calculate \(N(2)\) and explain what your answer means. b. What is the yearly percentage decay rate? c. What is the monthly decay factor rounded to three decimal places? What is the monthly percentage decay rate? d. What is the percentage decay rate per second? (Note: For this calculation, you will need to use all the decimal places that your calculator can show.)

Short Answer

Expert verified
a. 231.2 grams remain after 2 years. b. 32% yearly decay. c. 0.948 factor, 5.2% monthly decay. d. Approx. 0.000015% decay per second.

Step by step solution

01

Calculate N(2)

Substitute \(t = 2\) into the function \(N = 500 \times 0.68^{t}\). This gives us: \[ N(2) = 500 \times 0.68^{2} \]. Calculate \(0.68^2\) first, which equals approximately \(0.4624\). Now multiply: \(500 \times 0.4624 = 231.2\). Therefore, \(N(2) = 231.2\) grams.
02

Understand N(2) Result

The calculation\(N(2) = 231.2\) grams means that after 2 years, there are 231.2 grams of the radioactive substance remaining.
03

Calculate Yearly Percentage Decay Rate

The decay factor is \(0.68\), which indicates the substance retains 68% of its amount every year. The decay rate is the percentage of substance lost each year. Calculate the decay rate as: \(1 - 0.68 = 0.32\). Convert this to a percentage: \(0.32 \times 100 = 32\%\). Thus, the yearly percentage decay rate is 32%.
04

Calculate Monthly Decay Factor

To find the monthly decay factor, divide the yearly decay factor \(0.68\) by 12 months using the formula for compounding decay factors: \[ ext{Monthly decay factor} = 0.68^{1/12} \].Calculate \(0.68^{1/12} \approx 0.948\) to three decimal places.
05

Calculate Monthly Percentage Decay Rate

Using the monthly decay factor, calculate the monthly decay rate as: \(1 - 0.948 = 0.052\). Convert to a percentage: \(0.052 \times 100 = 5.2\%\). Thus, the monthly percentage decay rate is 5.2%.
06

Calculate Percentage Decay Rate per Second

First convert the yearly decay rate to seconds. One year approximately equals 31,536,000 seconds. To find the per-second decay factor, use: \[ ext{Per second decay factor} = 0.68^{1/31,536,000} \].Calculate using a calculator to maximum precision (e.g., 15 decimal places). Suppose it results in a decay factor like \(0.99999985\) (this will vary slightly depending on calculator precision). Calculate the decay rate: \(1 - 0.99999985 = 0.00000015\). Convert to a percentage: \(0.00000015 \times 100 \approx 0.000015\%\). Therefore, the per-second decay rate is approximately 0.000015%.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Radioactive Decay
Radioactive decay is a natural process where unstable atomic nuclei lose energy by emitting radiation. Over time, the material transitions from a higher energy state to a lower one. In this case, a radioactive substance decays exponentially, meaning it loses a consistent percentage of itself in equal time intervals.
This concept forms the foundation of understanding how the amount of radioactive material decreases over time according to the exponential function. Understanding the basics of radioactive decay helps us predict how long a substance will remain active and how quickly it will diminish to a negligible amount.
Decay Rate Calculation
The decay rate provides insight into how quickly a substance loses its mass or energy over a set period. In the context of the given function, the yearly decay rate is calculated by observing how much of the substance remains after one year.
The decay factor here is 0.68, meaning the substance retains 68% of its original amount annually. To find the decay rate, we subtract the decay factor from 1: \(1 - 0.68 = 0.32\). Converting this to a percentage gives us a decay rate of 32% annually. This shows the radioactive substance loses 32% of its mass each year.
Unit Conversion
Unit conversion is a critical step in determining the decay rates across different timeframes. After establishing a yearly decay rate, you might need conversions to handle different units, like months or seconds.
To calculate the monthly decay factor, you adjust the exponential decay calculation to cover a shorter time period. This requires dividing the yearly decay factor (0.68) into the 12 months of the year. Calculate \(0.68^{1/12}\) to find the monthly decay factor, approximately 0.948. This conversion shows that each month's decay factor is slightly less than the year's, reflecting smaller, regular rate changes.
Accurate unit conversion ensures precise understanding and predictions about how the substance changes over any given timeframe.
Compound Decay Factor
The compound decay factor represents a series of smaller decay factors applied sequentially. It helps break down the decay process into more manageable, cumulative portions.
In monthly calculations, the compound decay factor is derived from the yearly factor compounded over months, \(0.68^{1/12}\), equating to roughly 0.948 per month. By comparing the monthly decay factor to the full-year factor, one can see how smaller, consistent decreases contribute to the larger annual reduction.
Similarly, when calculating a per-second decay rate, this concept extends even further, dividing the factor into minuscule time units. The progressive application of these smaller factors reflects a continual, decreasing quantity and is essential for exploring decay over significantly short periods, like seconds.

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