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10 June, 23:40

The half-life of plutonium-239 is 24300. If a nuclear bomb released 8kg of this isotope, how many years would pass before the amount is reduced to 1kg?

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  1. 11 June, 00:06
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    = 72900 years

    Explanation:

    The half-life is the time taken by a radioactive material to decay by half the original amount. The half-life of plutonium-239 is 24300 years which means it takes 24300 years to decay by half the original amount.

    To calculate the time taken for a mass of 8 kg to decay to 1 kg we use;

    New mass = Original mass x (1/2) ^n, where n is the number of half-lives

    Therefore;

    1 kg = 8 kg * (1/2) ^n

    1/8 = (1/2) ^n

    solving for n;

    n = 3

    Therefore;

    Time = 3 * 24300 years

    = 72900 years

    It will, therefore, take 72900 years for 8 kg of plutonium-239 to decay to 1 kg.
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