- #1
MarcL
- 170
- 2
Homework Statement
The nuclide (32,15)P undergoes Beta - decay with a half-life of 14.3 d. It is used as a tracer isotope in biochemical analysis. What is the initial decay rate of a 1.2mg sample?
Homework Equations
T1/2 = Ln 2 / λ
Ro = λN0
The Attempt at a Solution
I first solved for λ using Ln 2 / T1/2 which gave me .04847/days.
I then converted my answer to seconds which gave me 5.61017*10^-7 /sec
I then Converted my initial amount ( 1.2mg) using U to Kg which in turn gave me 1.9926*10^21 ( using the conversion 1.6605*10^27u = 1kg)
Finally I multiplied both answer together which gave me 1.117882474*10^15 decay /sec ( the unit is given to me).
I get the answer wrong and I double checked my answer ( even triple because another question was the same thing with different number and I still got it wrong) . I don't know where I am going wrong.I would love to understand but apparently I can't even plug in formulas -.-