A radiation detector registers counts per second when a fresh radioactive source is…

PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Nuclear physics · Nuclear physics

Problem

A radiation detector registers 530530 counts per second when a fresh radioactive source is placed near it. The constant laboratory background is 3030 counts per second. (i) Find the count rate due solely to the source at t=0t = 0. (ii) Ten hours later, the detector reading (including background) is 300300 counts per second. Determine the decay constant λ\lambda of the source in h−1\text{h}^{-1}. (iii) Predict the detector reading (including background) after a further 55 hours.

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