A radioactive sample contains two radioactive nucleus A and B having d...
Understanding the Problem
Initially, the sample contains two radioactive nuclei, A and B, with decay constants λ and 2λ respectively. The problem states that initially, 20% of the decay is attributed to nucleus A.
Decay Rates
- The decay rate for nucleus A: dA/dt = -λNA
- The decay rate for nucleus B: dB/dt = -2λNB
Where NA and NB are the number of nuclei of A and B at time t.
Initial Conditions
- Initially, let the total number of nuclei be N = NA + NB.
- Since 20% of decay comes from A, we can say that:
- NA = 0.2N
- NB = 0.8N
Decay Over Time
- After a time t, the number of nuclei remaining will be:
- NA(t) = NA * e^(-λt) = 0.2N * e^(-λt)
- NB(t) = NB * e^(-2λt) = 0.8N * e^(-2λt)
- The decay rates at time t become:
- Decay from A: dA = λ * 0.2N * e^(-λt)
- Decay from B: dB = 2λ * 0.8N * e^(-2λt)
Finding the Time for 50% Decay from A
- To find when 50% of the decay comes from A, we set up the ratio:
(Decay from A) / (Total decay) = 0.5
- After simplifying, we find that this condition is met when:
0.2 * e^(−λt) = 0.5 * (0.2 * e^(−λt) + 0.8 * e^(−2λt))
- Solving this equation leads to t = 2 hours.
Conclusion
Thus, it takes 2 hours for 50% of the decay to come from nucleus A, confirming that the correct answer is option b) 2.