Radioactive Decay Madness

[doc1986]

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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."

 

[Danny289]

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."

NO, you don't need to know those complex formulas. Check the ADA guidline for more information.

 

[miedvied]

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.