111k views
3 votes
Will the storage site be able to safely store 5,000kg of Curium-243 for 4,000 years, given a half-life of 29 years and a safety threshold of 237kg?

a) Yes
b) No
c) Insufficient information
d) Maybe

1 Answer

4 votes

Final answer:

The storage site will be able to safely store 5,000kg of Curium-243 for 4,000 years.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks whether a storage site will be able to safely store 5,000kg of Curium-243 for 4,000 years, given a half-life of 29 years and a safety threshold of 237kg. To determine this, we need to calculate how much of the Curium-243 will be left after 4,000 years.

Using the formula: Final amount = Initial amount * (1/2)^(time/half-life), we can plug in the values: 5000 * (1/2)^(4000/29). After evaluating this expression, we find that the final amount of Curium-243 will be approximately 11.86kg, which is below the safety threshold. Therefore, the storage site will be able to safely store 5,000kg of Curium-243 for 4,000 years.

User Paulmurray
by
7.6k points