SOLUTIONNuclear Physics: Accident in Lab, Wait Time to Enter Room

AI Thread Summary
In a lab accident involving a radioactive isotope with a half-life of 3 days, the radiation level is initially 8 times the maximum permissible amount. To determine the wait time before workers can safely enter, it is essential to understand that each half-life reduces the radiation level by half. After one half-life (3 days), the radiation would decrease to 4 times the maximum permissible level. After another half-life (an additional 3 days), the radiation would drop to 2 times the maximum level. Therefore, workers must wait a total of 9 days before entering the room safely.
petuniac
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QUESTION

in an accident in a lab a radioactive isotope with a half life of 3 days is spilled - as a result the radiation is 8 times the max. permissible amount, how long must workers wait before they can enter the room.

ANSWER

9

COMMENTS

I am not sure where to even start with this one. Please help!
 
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Do you know what half life means?
 
half life is the amount of time it takes for the quantity to reduce to half it's initial value.. in this question it takes 3 days for us to get half of the material
 
So this should be fairly straight forward. If you have 8x the amount and it takes 3 days for half to decay away, how long should it take
 
huh?

maybe i am missing something here.. but that wouldn't give me 9 as a solution... sorry, I appreciate your help, but am lost on this one... please help
 
If the radiation is 8x the maximum, 3 days later (which is 1 half life) the radiation would be 4x maximum. Can ou go from there?
 
Thanks. Got it now!
 

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