Half-life practice

Front

What is Half-life?

Back

The amount of time it takes for half the nuclei in a sample of the isotope to decay.

Front

If the half-life of uranium-232 is 70 years, how many half-lives will it take for 10 g of it to be reduced to 1.25 g?

Back

3 half-lives.

Front

The half-life of iodine-131 is 8.040 days. What percentage of an iodine-131 sample will remain after 40.20 days?

Back

3.125%.

Front

What does a mass spectrum represent?

Back

A mass spectrum represents the distribution of isotopes of an element based on their mass-to-charge ratio.

Front

How many isotopes are shown in this mass spectrum?

Back

4.

Front

What is the formula to calculate the remaining amount of a substance after a certain number of half-lives?

Back

Remaining amount = Initial amount × (1/2)^(number of half-lives).

Front

What is radioactive decay?

Back

Radioactive decay is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by emitting radiation.

Front

What is an isotope?

Back

An isotope is a variant of a chemical element that has the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons.

Front

What is the significance of half-life in nuclear chemistry?

Back

Half-life helps determine the stability of isotopes and the time it takes for a sample to decay.

Front

How does the concept of half-life apply to carbon dating?

Back

Carbon dating uses the half-life of carbon-14 to estimate the age of organic materials.