Suppose that the half-life of Plutonium is 24000 years.

Question

Suppose that the half-life of Plutonium is 24000 years. a) Find a function 𝑃(𝑡) that models the amount of Plutonium after t years, if the initial amount is 10 grams. b) Find the time (in years) needed to decay the above 10 grams of Plutonium to 9 grams

Answer 1

a) P(t) = 10e^kt

5 = 10e^24000k

Solve for k.

b) 9 = 10e^kt

Use the value of k found in part a) and then solve for t.