The heaviest known isotope of hydrogen is called tritium, .It decays by beta emission, and has a half-life of 12.3 years.What fraction of a tritium sample will remain after 5.20 years?

Question

The heaviest known isotope of hydrogen is called tritium,  .It decays by beta emission, and has a half-life of 12.3 years.What fraction of a tritium sample will remain after 5.20 years?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

We can use the half-life formula to solve for the fraction remaining:

N(t) = N₀(1/2)^(t/T)

where N(t) is the amount remaining after time t, N₀ is the initial amount, T is the half-life, and ^(t/T) represents "to the power of (t/T)."

Plugging in the given values, we get:

N(5.20) = N₀(1/2)^(5.20/12.3)

We want to find the fraction remaining, which is N(5.20)/N₀. So we divide both sides by N₀:

N(5.20)/N₀ = (1/2)^(5.20/12.3)

N(5.20)/N₀ = 0.746

Therefore, the fraction remaining after 5.20 years is 0.746, or about 3/4 of the original sample.

The correct answer is B.

The Heaviest Known Isotope of Hydrogen Is Called Tritium