You want to find out how many atoms of the isotope 65Cu are in a small sample of material. You bombard the sample with neutrons to ensure that on the order of 1% of these copper nuclei absorb a neutron. After activation, you turn off the neutron flux and then use a highly efficient detector to monitor the gamma radiation that comes out of the sample. Assume half of the 66Cu nuclei emit a 1.04-MeV gamma ray in their decay. (The other half of the activated nuclei decay directly to the ground state of 66Ni.) If after 10 min (two half-lives) you have detected 1.00 3 104 MeV of photon energy at 1.04 MeV, (a) approximately how many 65Cu atoms are in the sample? (b) Assume the sample contains natural copper.
You want to find out how many atoms of the isotope 65Cu are in a small sample of material. You bombard the sample with neutrons to ensure that on the order of 1% of these copper nuclei absorb a neutron. After activation, you turn off the neutron flux and then use a highly efficient detector to monitor the gamma radiation that comes out of the sample. Assume half of the 66Cu nuclei emit a 1.04-MeV gamma ray in their decay. (The other half of the activated nuclei decay directly to the ground state of 66Ni.) If after 10 min (two half-lives) you have detected 1.00 3 104 MeV of photon energy at 1.04 MeV, (a) approximately how many 65Cu atoms are in the sample? (b) Assume the sample contains natural copper.
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