Problem

Question 2 of 10 Plutonium-240 decays according to the function $Q(t)=Q_{0} e^{-k t}$ where Q represents the quantity remaining after $t$ years and $k$ is the decay constant, $0.00011 \ldots$ To the nearest 10 years, how long will it take 27 grams of plutonium-240 to decay to 9 grams? A. 9,990 years B. 2,100 years C. 1.44 years D. 18,900 years

Solution

Step 1 :We are given the initial quantity \(Q_0 = 27\) grams and the final quantity \(Q = 9\) grams. We are also given the decay constant \(k = 0.00011\). We need to find the time \(t\) it takes for the quantity to decay from 27 grams to 9 grams.

Step 2 :We can do this by rearranging the decay function to solve for \(t\): \[t = \frac{1}{k} \ln \left( \frac{Q_0}{Q} \right)\]

Step 3 :We can then substitute the given values into this equation to find \(t\).

Step 4 :Substituting the given values, we get \(t = 9987.38444243736\)

Step 5 :Rounding to the nearest 10 years, we get \(t = 9990.0\) years

Step 6 :Final Answer: The time it will take for 27 grams of plutonium-240 to decay to 9 grams, to the nearest 10 years, is \(\boxed{9990}\) years.

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Source: https://solvelyapp.com/problems/QvswP1L5rK/

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