Question
- The decay equation for radon- 222 gas is known to be
with
in days.
About how long will it take the amount of radon in a sealed sample of air to decay
to
of its original value?
About how long will it take the amount of radon in a sealed sample of air to decay
to
Ask by Bernard Bowers. in the United States
Mar 24,2025
Upstudy AI Solution
Tutor-Verified Answer
Answer
It takes approximately 5.85 days for the radon to decay to 90% of its original amount.
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Bonus Knowledge
To find out when radon-222 will decay to 90% of its original amount, we can set
(since 90% decay leaves 10% remaining). This gives us the equation
. Simplifying this leads to
. Taking the natural logarithm of both sides gives
. Solving for
will give us
days. So, it takes approximately 129 days for the radon-222 gas to decay to 10% of its original value!
Now, ensure to account for safety measures when dealing with radon, especially in enclosed spaces. Radon is a radioactive gas that can accumulate indoors, and long-term exposure poses serious health risks, including lung cancer. If you’re conducting experiments or handling radon, make sure you’re equipped with proper ventilation and detection tools to keep everyone safe!