A certain radionuclide is being manufactured in a cyclotron at a constant rate R. It is also decaying with disintegration constant l. Assume that the production process has been going on for a time that is much longer than the half-life of the radionuclide. (a) Show that the number of radioactive nuclei present after such time remains constant and is given by N= R/l. (b) Now show that this result holds no matter how many radioactive nuclei were present initially.The nuclide is said to be in secular equilibrium with its source; in this state its decay rate is just equal to its production rate.

Principles of Physics: A Calculus-Based Text
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ISBN:9781133104261
Author:Raymond A. Serway, John W. Jewett
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Chapter30: Nuclear Physics
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A certain radionuclide is being manufactured in a
cyclotron at a constant rate R. It is also decaying with disintegration
constant l. Assume that the production process has been going on
for a time that is much longer than the half-life of the radionuclide.
(a) Show that the number of radioactive nuclei present after such
time remains constant and is given by N= R/l. (b) Now show that
this result holds no matter how many radioactive nuclei were present
initially.The nuclide is said to be in secular equilibrium with its
source; in this state its decay rate is just equal to its production rate.

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