Determine the decay rate for a radioisotope sample with an activity of 12 microcuries. [1 curie = 3.7 * 10¹⁰ disintegrations/s]

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To determine the decay rate, we need to convert the activity from microcuries to disintegrations per second (dps).

12 microcuries = 12 x 10^-6 curies

1 curie = 3.7 x 10^10 dps

Therefore,

12 x 10^-6 curies = (12 x 10^-6) x (3.7 x 10^10) dps

= 44.4 dps

The decay rate is the same as the activity, which is 44.4 dps or 4.4 x 10^10 disintegrations/s.

Therefore, the best choice is B.

Determine the Decay Rate for a Radioisotope Sample with an Activity