Explore Westonci.ca, the top Q&A platform where your questions are answered by professionals and enthusiasts alike. Our Q&A platform offers a seamless experience for finding reliable answers from experts in various disciplines. Explore comprehensive solutions to your questions from knowledgeable professionals across various fields on our platform.

Uranium-238 has a half-life of 4.5 billion years. Given that scientists estimate Earth's age to be 4.6 billion years, what is the most likely percentage of parent to daughter isotopes of this element currently existing on Earth? A. 10 percent B. 25 percent C. 50 percent D. 75 percent

Sagot :

Answer:

The correct answer is option C.

Explanation:

Half life of the uranium-238=[tex]t_{\frac{1}{2}}=4.5 \text{billion years}[/tex]

Decay constant =[tex]\lambda [/tex]

[tex]\lambda =\frac{0.693}{t_{\frac{1}{2}}}[/tex]

[tex]\lambda =\frac{0.693}{4.5 \text{billion years}}=0.154 ({\text{billion year})^{-1}[/tex]

Let the initial amount of U-238 be x

And the present amount of U-238 be x'.

[tex]A=A_o\times e^{-\lambda t}[/tex]

[tex]A_o[/tex] = Initial amount

A = Amount left after time t

[tex]x'=x\times e^{-0.154 ({\text{billion year})^{-1}\times 4.5\text{billion years}}[/tex]

[tex]x'=x\times 0.500[/tex]

Percentage of left amount:

[tex]\%=\frac{A}{A_o}\times 100[/tex]

[tex]\%=\frac{x\times 0.5000}{x}\times 100=50.00\%[/tex]

Hence,the correct answer is option C.

We hope our answers were helpful. Return anytime for more information and answers to any other questions you may have. We hope you found what you were looking for. Feel free to revisit us for more answers and updated information. Westonci.ca is your go-to source for reliable answers. Return soon for more expert insights.