Just wondering if we need to know any of those very complicated radioactive decay formulas. I have seen several and they are tough to remember and use correctly. I know how to solve a basic radioactive decay problem if it is given in the form of a basic word problem e.g., "This much is left after this much time...what is the half life time in hours, etc."
Radioactive Decay Madness
- Thread starter doc1986
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NO, you don't need to know those complex formulas. Check the ADA guidline for more information.
You pretty much just have to know the basic concepts underlying half-life, and being able to derive the half-life formula from the first-order integrated rate equation wouldn't do you any harm.
