Generally, more massive nuclides tend to be more unstable to alpha decay. For example, the most stable isotope of uranium, 238U, has an alpha decay half-life of 4.5 x 10° y. The most stable isotope of plutonium is 244Pu with an 8.0 x 10’ y halflife, and for curium we have 248Cm and 3.4 x 105 y. When half of an original sample of 238U has decayed, what fraction of the original sample of (a) plutonium and (b) curium is left?

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Chapter1: Units, Trigonometry. And Vectors
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Generally, more massive nuclides tend to be more unstable to alpha decay. For example, the most stable isotope of uranium, 238U, has
an alpha decay half-life of 4.5 x 10° y. The most stable isotope of plutonium is 244Pu with an 8.0 × 107 y halflife, and for curium we have
248Cm and 3.4× 105 y. When half of an original sample of 23BU has decayed, what fraction of the original sample of (a) plutonium and
(b) curium is left?
(a) Number
i
Units
(b) Number
i
Units
Transcribed Image Text:Generally, more massive nuclides tend to be more unstable to alpha decay. For example, the most stable isotope of uranium, 238U, has an alpha decay half-life of 4.5 x 10° y. The most stable isotope of plutonium is 244Pu with an 8.0 × 107 y halflife, and for curium we have 248Cm and 3.4× 105 y. When half of an original sample of 23BU has decayed, what fraction of the original sample of (a) plutonium and (b) curium is left? (a) Number i Units (b) Number i Units
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