The half-life of radon-222 is 3.825 days. Use Exercise 31 to compute: (a) The average time to

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The half-life of radon-222 is 3.825 days. Use Exercise 31 to compute:
(a) The average time to decay of a radon-222 atom.
(b) The probability that a given atom will decay in the next 24 hours.


Data From Exercise 31

The time to decay of an atom in a radioactive substance is a random variable X. The law of radioactive decay states that if N atoms are present at time t = 0, then N ƒ(t) atoms will be present at time t, where ƒ(t) = e−kt (k > 0 is the decay constant). Explain the following statements:

The fraction of atoms that decay in a small time interval [t, t + Δt] is approximately −ƒ'(t)Δt.

The probability density function of X is y = −ƒ'(t).

The average time to decay is 1/k.

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Calculus

ISBN: 9781319055844

4th Edition

Authors: Jon Rogawski, Colin Adams, Robert Franzosa

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