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Cobalt-60 is an artificial radioisotope used in cancer treatment. If the wavelength of the gamma radiation from a cobalt-60 source is

1.00 × 10 −nm, calculate the energy of a photon of this radiation.

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Final answer:

The energy of a photon from cobalt-60 gamma radiation with a wavelength of 1.00 × 10^-9 meters is 1.988 x 10^-16 joules.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question involves calculating the energy of a photon from the gamma radiation emitted by cobalt-60, which has a given wavelength. The energy (E) of a photon can be calculated using the equation E = hc/λ, where h is Planck's constant (6.626 x 10^-34 J·s), c is the speed of light in a vacuum (3.00 x 10^8 m/s), and λ is the wavelength of the photon. In this case, the wavelength is given as 1.00 × 10^-9 meters (nm).

By substituting the given values into the equation, we calculate the energy:

E = (6.626 x 10^-34 J·s) x (3.00 x 10^8 m/s) / (1.00 x 10^-9 m)
E = (6.626 x 10^-34 x 3.00 x 10^8) / 10^-9 J
E = 1.988 x 10^-16 joules per photon.

This is the energy of a single photon of gamma radiation emitted by a cobalt-60 source.

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