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Radioactive Decay

Part 4: Summary

Answer each of the following questions in your worksheet.

  1. Why do we expect a model function for the amount (or concentration) of a radioactive substance to be an exponential function?

  2. Given data from a presumably radioactive substance, how can we tell if the data decay exponentially?

  3. Describe the key steps in finding a model exponential function to fit decay data.

  4. Once we have the model function, how do we find the half-life?

  5. Is it preferable to find a half-life directly from the data or from the model function? Explain your conclusion.

  6. Why do we measure the duration of radioactivity in half-lives instead of lifetimes?
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Last modified: September 17, 1997