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The half-life of tritium is 12 years. What percentage of a radioactive sample of tritium would remain after 24 years?

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3 votes

Answer:

one-half of the radioactive decays in a 12 year span.

After 24 years 1/2 * 1/2 = 1/4

1/4 of the sample would remain after 24 years (or 25%)

User Alpav
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Final answer:

After 24 years, 25% of a radioactive sample of tritium would remain because the half-life of tritium is 12 years, and the sample halves every 12 years.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question is asking about the decay of a radioactive isotope, specifically tritium, over time. Based on the given half-life of tritium which is 12 years, we can calculate the remaining percentage of a radioactive sample after any given number of years.

After one half-life (12 years), 50% of the original tritium would remain. After two half-lives (24 years), this amount would halve again, which means 25% of the original sample would be left.

Therefore, after 24 years, which is double the half-life of tritium, 25% of a radioactive sample of tritium would remain.

Tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, has a half-life of 12 years. This means that after 12 years, the amount of tritium in a sample will decrease by half. So, after 24 years, two half-lives have passed, and the amount of tritium remaining will be one-fourth of the original amount. Therefore, after 24 years, 25% of the radioactive sample of tritium will remain.

User Bryan Willis
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