Question

After the release of radioactive material into the atmosphere from a nuclear power plant at Chernobyl (Ukraine) in 1986, the hay in Austria was contaminated by iodine 131 (half-life 8 days). It is safe to feed the hay to cows when 10% of the iodine 131 remains.

What is the exact growth/decay factor?
a) 0.90
b) 1.10
c) 0.10
d) 1.90

Answer 1

The exact decay factor for iodine 131 in this context is 0.10, representing that 10% of the original amount remains.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student is asking about the decay factor of iodine 131, which has a half-life of 8 days, in the context of how safe it is to feed contaminated hay to cows. To be considered safe, the hay must have only 10% of the original iodine 131 remaining. The decay factor represents the fraction of the substance that remains after a certain period of time. In this case, since we want to know when only 10% remains, the decay factor is 0.10.