Step 1 :The problem provides that a sample of a radioactive substance has an initial mass of 78.4 mg, follows a continuous exponential decay model, and has a half-life of 15 minutes. We are asked to find a formula relating the amount of the substance y to the time t, and to calculate how much of the substance will be present in 23 minutes.
Step 2 :First, we can express the continuous exponential decay mathematically using the formula \(y = a \cdot (1/2)^{t/h}\), where \(a\) is the initial amount, \(t\) is the time, and \(h\) is the half-life.
Step 3 :Substituting the given values into the formula, we get \(y = 78.4 \cdot (1/2)^{t/15}\). This formula represents the amount of the substance at any given time \(t\).
Step 4 :To find out how much of the substance will be present in 23 minutes, we substitute \(t = 23\) into the formula, which gives \(y = 78.4 \cdot (1/2)^{23/15}\).
Step 5 :Calculating the above expression, we find that the amount of the substance present in 23 minutes will be approximately 27.1 mg.
Step 6 :So, the formula relating \(y\) to \(t\) is \(y = 78.4 \cdot (1/2)^{t/15}\), and the amount of the substance present in 23 minutes will be approximately 27.1 mg.