
Concept explainers
After the sudden release of radioactivity from the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident in 1986, the radioactivity of milk in Poland rose to 2.00 x 103 Bq/L due to iodine - 131, with a half - life of 8.04 days. Radioactive iodine is particularly hazardous because the thyroid gland concentrates iodine. The Chernobyl accident caused a measurable increase in thyroid cancers among children in Belarus. (a) For comparison, find the activity of milk due to potassium. Assume 1 liter of milk contains 2.00 g of potassium, of which 0.011 7% is the isotope 40K, which has a half-life of 1.28 x109 yr. (b) After what length of time would the activity due to iodine fall below that due to potassium?

Trending nowThis is a popular solution!
Step by stepSolved in 2 steps with 2 images

- A Geiger counter reading of a radioactive sample is initially 6520 counts per minute. The same sample gives a reading of 422 counts per minute 10.1 h later. What is the sample's half-life?arrow_forwardJack underwent radiation therapy using a beam of neutrons to treat a skin cancer on his hand. He received a dose equivalent of 16 mSv that was absorbed in 25 g of tissue. The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of these neutrons is 12. What absorbed dose of radiation did Jack receive? What was the total energy of the absorbed radiation? Suppose Jill, also being treated for skin cancer, received the same absorbed dose, but from an electron beam (beta particles) with an RBE of 1.1. What dose equivalent did she receive?arrow_forwardGamma rays may be used to kill pathogens in ground beef. One irradiation facility uses a 60Co source that has an activity of 1.0×10^6Ci. 60Co undergoes beta decay and then gives off two gamma rays, at 1.17 and 1.33MeV; typically 30% of this gamma-ray energy is absorbed by the meat. The dose required to kill all pathogens present in the beef is 4000Gy. How many kilograms of meat per hour can be processed in this facility? Express your answer in kilograms per harrow_forward
- The radionuclide 32P (T1/2 = 14.28 d) is often used as a tracer to follow the course of biochemical reactions involving phosphorus. (a) If the counting rate in a particular experimental setup is initially 3050 counts/s, how much time will the rate take to fall to 170 counts/s? (b) A solution containing 32P is fed to the root system of an experimental tomato plant, and the 32P activity in a leaf is measured 3.48 days later. By what factor must this reading be multiplied to correct for the decay that has occurred since the experiment began?arrow_forwardA Geiger counter reading of a radioactive sample is initially 6520 counts per minute. The same sample gives a reading of 402 counts per minute 10.9 h later. What is the sample's half-life?arrow_forwardYou find a 37.2 g fossilized bone that has an activity of 0.024 counts per second. How old is the bone? Please give your answer in years.arrow_forward
- A 75 kg patient swallows a 33 μCi beta emitter whose half-life is 5.0 days and whose RBE is 1.6. The beta particles are emitted with an average energy of 0.35 MeV, 90% of which is absorbed by the body. You are a health care worker needing to find the patient's dose equivalent after one week. These series of steps will help you find that dose equivalent. In all questions, assume the radioactive nuclei are distributed throughout the patient's body and are not being excreted. Part A How many radioactive nuclei did the patient swallow? Express your answer using three significant figures. ▸ View Available Hint(s) No= ΜΕ ΑΣΦ Submit ?arrow_forward(a) At an initial time, a radioactive sample has an activity of 8.77x104 Bq. After 3.88 hours the activity is 5.35x104 Bq. (A) What is the half-life of the isotope? (B) What is the activity after an additional 3.88 hours? (A) (in s) OA: 6.426x103 OB: 9.317x103 oC: 1.351x104 OD: 1.959x104 OE: 2.840x104 OF: 4.119x104 OG: 5.972x104 (B) (in Bq) H: 8.660x104 OA: 1.387x104 OB: 1.845x104 OC: 2.454x104 OD: 3.264x104 OE: 4.341x104 OF: 5.773x104 OG: 7.678x104 OH: 1.021x105arrow_forward(a) At an initial time, a radioactive sample has an activity of 8.52x104 Bq. After 3.85 hours the activity is 5.42×104 Bq. (A) What is the half-life of the isotope? (B) What is the activity after an additional 3.85 hours? (A) (in s) OA: 2.285x103 (B) (in Bq) OA: 1.149x104 OB: 3.314x103 OB: 1.344x104 OC: 4.805x103 OC: 1.573x104 OD: 6.967x103 OD: 1.840x104 OE: 1.010x104 OE: 2.153x104 OF: 1.465x104 OG: 2.124x104 OF: OG: 2.519x104 2.947x104 OH: 3.080x104 OH: 3.448x104arrow_forward
- The radioisotope Tc is an isotope that sometimes given to patients because it emits gamma rays and has a relatively short half-life of 6.05 h. Because emits gamma rays, 43 can be used as a tracer when performing imaging on a specific part of the human body. (a) Find the decay constant of "Tc (in h-l). h-1 (b) Find the number of Tc nuclei needed to provide an activity of 2.61 pCi. nucleiarrow_forwardIn 1992, Swiss police arrested two men who were attempting to smuggle osmium out of Eastern Europe for a clandestine sale. However, by error, the smugglers had picked up 137Cs. Reportedly, each smuggler was carrying a 1.0 g sample of 137Cs in a pocket! In (a) bequerels and (b) curies, what was the activity of each sample? The isotope 137Cs has a half-life of 30.2 y. (The activities of radioisotopes commonly used in hospitals range up to a few millicuries.)arrow_forward
- College PhysicsPhysicsISBN:9781305952300Author:Raymond A. Serway, Chris VuillePublisher:Cengage LearningUniversity Physics (14th Edition)PhysicsISBN:9780133969290Author:Hugh D. Young, Roger A. FreedmanPublisher:PEARSONIntroduction To Quantum MechanicsPhysicsISBN:9781107189638Author:Griffiths, David J., Schroeter, Darrell F.Publisher:Cambridge University Press
- Physics for Scientists and EngineersPhysicsISBN:9781337553278Author:Raymond A. Serway, John W. JewettPublisher:Cengage LearningLecture- Tutorials for Introductory AstronomyPhysicsISBN:9780321820464Author:Edward E. Prather, Tim P. Slater, Jeff P. Adams, Gina BrissendenPublisher:Addison-WesleyCollege Physics: A Strategic Approach (4th Editio...PhysicsISBN:9780134609034Author:Randall D. Knight (Professor Emeritus), Brian Jones, Stuart FieldPublisher:PEARSON





