Problem

A specific radioactive substance follows a continuous exponential decay model. It has a half-life of 6 hours. At the start of the experiment, $727.7 \mathrm{~g}$ is present.
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(a) Let $t$ be the time (in hours) since the start of the experiment, and let $y$ be the amount of the substance at time $t$.
Write a formula relating $y$ to $t$.
Use exact expressions to fill in the missing parts of the formula. Do not use approximations.
\[
y=\square e^{(\square)}
\]
(b) How much will be present in 15 hours?
Do not round any intermediate computations, and round your answer to the nearest tenth.
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\hline$\frac{\text { 믐 }}{}$ & $\square \ln \square$ \\
\hline$x$ & \\
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Answer

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Answer

\(\boxed{229.9}\)g of the substance will be present in 15 hours, rounded to the nearest tenth.

Steps

Step 1 :The formula for exponential decay is given by: \(y = y_0 * e^{kt}\) where \(y\) is the final amount of the substance, \(y_0\) is the initial amount of the substance, \(k\) is the decay constant, and \(t\) is the time elapsed.

Step 2 :Given that the half-life of the substance is 6 hours, we can find the decay constant \(k\) using the formula for half-life: \(t_{1/2} = \frac{ln(2)}{k}\).

Step 3 :Solving for \(k\), we get: \(k = \frac{ln(2)}{t_{1/2}} = \frac{ln(2)}{6}\).

Step 4 :Substituting \(y_0 = 727.7\) and \(k = \frac{ln(2)}{6}\) into the exponential decay formula, we get: \(y = 727.7 * e^{\frac{ln(2)}{6}t}\). So, the missing parts of the formula are 727.7 and \(\frac{ln(2)}{6}\).

Step 5 :To find out how much of the substance will be present in 15 hours, we substitute \(t = 15\) into the formula: \(y = 727.7 * e^{\frac{ln(2)}{6}*15}\).

Step 6 :Calculating this gives: \(y \approx 727.7 * e^{1.15} \approx 727.7 * 3.16 \approx 229.9\).

Step 7 :\(\boxed{229.9}\)g of the substance will be present in 15 hours, rounded to the nearest tenth.

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