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The half-life of radium-228 is 6.7 years. How much of a 120 gram sample of radium-228 would be left after 26.8 years? What fraction of the original sample is left after 26.8 years.

User Allanah
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Final answer:

The half-life of radium-228 is 6.7 years. After 26.8 years, there would be 7.5 grams of radium-228 remaining from the initial 120-gram sample, which is approximately 6.25% of the original sample.

Step-by-step explanation:

The half-life of radium-228 is 6.7 years. To determine how much of a 120-gram sample of radium-228 would be left after 26.8 years, we can use the formula:

Amount remaining = Initial amount × (1/2)^(t/half-life)

where t is the time period and half-life is the half-life of the substance. Plugging in the values, we have:

Amount remaining = 120 grams × (1/2)^(26.8 years/6.7 years) = 120 grams × (1/2)^4 = 120 grams × (1/16) = 7.5 grams.

Therefore, after 26.8 years, there would be 7.5 grams of radium-228 remaining from the initial 120 gram sample. The fraction of the original sample remaining is 7.5 grams / 120 grams = 0.0625 or 6.25%.

User Simplelenz
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