Final answer:
To represent the elimination of a drug at a rate of 5.2% per hour with an initial dosage of 500 mg, the exponential decay equation d = 500 × e-0.052t can be used, where d is the dosage at time t.
Step-by-step explanation:
To write an exponential equation for the situation where the initial drug dosage is 500 mg and the drug is eliminated at a rate of 5.2% per hour, we need to use the formula that represents exponential decay:
d = d0 × e-kt
Here, d represents the amount of the drug in milligrams at time t, d0 is the initial dosage, k is the decay constant (as a decimal), and t is the time in hours. The decay constant k for a 5.2% elimination rate per hour is 0.052, and thus the equation becomes:
d = 500 × e-0.052t
This equation will allow us to calculate the remaining dosage in the body after any given number of hours has passed.