Question

If you have 8 g of a radioactive element, what will be the amount of the radioactive element left after 1 half-life (time = 1 year)?

a) 4 g
b) 2 g
c) 1 g
d) 0.5 g

Answer 1

After one half-life of 1 year, half of the original 8 g of radioactive element would remain, resulting in 4 grams of the element left. So, the correct answer to this question is a) 4 g.

Step-by-step explanation:

If you have 8 g of a radioactive element, and the time period is equal to one half-life, which is given as 1 year, then the amount of the radioactive element left after one half-life will be half of the original amount. The principle of radioactive decay states that during each half-life, half of the existing radioactive atoms will decay into daughter elements, leaving behind half the original quantity of radioactive material.

Therefore, starting with 8 grams of a radioactive element, after one half-life (1 year in this scenario), you would be left with 4 grams of the substance. This is because the half-life of a radioactive substance is the time required for half of the element's nuclei to decay.

So, the correct answer to this question is a) 4 g.