How much of 5g of radioactive element whose half life is 50days remains after 200days?

Assessment: JAMB UTME - Chemistry - 2024 Subject: Chemistry

Question 1 Report

How much of 5g of radioactive element whose half life is 50days remains after 200days?
Answer Details

To determine how much of a radioactive element remains after a certain period, we use the concept of half-life. The half-life of a substance is the time it takes for half of the initial amount of a radioactive element to decay. In this example, the half-life is given as 50 days.


We want to know how much of a 5g sample remains after 200 days. First, calculate how many half-lives occur in 200 days:


Number of half-lives = Total time elapsed / Half-life
                      = 200 days / 50 days
                      = 4 half-lives

Next, we calculate the remaining amount after each half-life period:


  • Initial amount: 5g
  • After first half-life (50 days): 5g / 2 = 2.5g
  • After second half-life (100 days): 2.5g / 2 = 1.25g
  • After third half-life (150 days): 1.25g / 2 = 0.625g
  • After fourth half-life (200 days): 0.625g / 2 = 0.3125g

After 200 days, 0.31g of the radioactive element remains.

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