The half-life of a radioactive isotope is the amount of time it takes for a quantity of radioactive material to decay to one-half of its original amount. (a) The half-life of Carbon 14 (C-14) is 5230 years. Determine the decay-rate parameter λ for C-14. (b) The half-life of Iodine 131 (I-131) is 8 days. Determine the decay-rate parameter for I-131.

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Chapter43: Nuclear Physics
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The half-life of a radioactive isotope is the amount of time it takes for a quantity of
radioactive material to decay to one-half of its original amount.


(a) The half-life of Carbon 14 (C-14) is 5230 years. Determine the decay-rate parameter λ for C-14.
(b) The half-life of Iodine 131 (I-131) is 8 days. Determine the decay-rate parameter for I-131.

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