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A sample of Fluorine-18 has a half-life of 2 hours. How much was administered to a patient if they still have 20 grams remaining after 360 minutes?

a) 80 grams
b) 40 grams
c) 10 grams
d) 5 grams

1 Answer

4 votes

Final answer:

The initial amount of Fluorine-18 administered to the patient was 160 grams.

Step-by-step explanation:

To solve this problem, we can use the formula for radioactive decay. The formula is: final amount = initial amount × (1/2)^(number of half-lives). In this case, the half-life of Fluorine-18 is 2 hours, which is equivalent to 120 minutes. Since the patient still has 20 grams remaining after 360 minutes, we can calculate the number of half-lives it took to reach that point. 360 minutes / 120 minutes per half-life = 3 half-lives. Plugging this into the formula, we get: 20 grams = initial amount × (1/2)^3. Solving for the initial amount, we find: initial amount = 20 grams × 2^3 = 160 grams.

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