Problem

Complete the table shown to the right for the half-life of a certain radioactive substance.
\begin{tabular}{|l|l|}
\hline Half-Life & Decay Rate, $\mathbf{k}$ \\
\hline $\mathbf{1 1 . 5}$ days & \\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\[
k=\square
\]
(Round to six decimal places as needed.)
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Final Answer: The decay rate, \(k\), for the radioactive substance with a half-life of 11.5 days is approximately \(\boxed{0.060274}\).

Steps

Step 1 :The decay rate of a radioactive substance is related to its half-life by the formula: \(k = \frac{\ln(2)}{T}\), where \(k\) is the decay constant, \(T\) is the half-life of the substance, and \(\ln\) is the natural logarithm function.

Step 2 :In this case, the half-life \(T\) is given as 11.5 days. We can substitute this into the formula to find the decay rate \(k\).

Step 3 :Substituting \(T = 11.5\) into the formula, we get \(k = \frac{\ln(2)}{11.5}\).

Step 4 :Calculating the above expression, we get \(k = 0.06027366787477785\).

Step 5 :Rounding to six decimal places, we get \(k = 0.060274\).

Step 6 :Final Answer: The decay rate, \(k\), for the radioactive substance with a half-life of 11.5 days is approximately \(\boxed{0.060274}\).

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