Describe three different
representations of radioactive decay by exponential functions.
Describe the procedures
for converting from each of the representations to each of the other two.
How does one find the half-life
from each of the three representations? In particular, how is the lambda
value related to the half-life?
A typical level of activity
for 131I from one patient at Duke Hospital is 300 mCi.
As a practical matter, Duke EPD stores this waste for three months and
then checks for radioactivity. How does this time period compare with the
10-half-life guideline? Is it long enough to reduce the radioactivity to
a safe level?
Similarly, EPD typically
stores 500 mCi of 32p from a research lab for six months.
How does that compare with 10 half-lives? Would you expect the activity
to be at a safe level?
If a quantity of waste
material contains more than one isotope, how do you decide how long to
store it in order to reduce radioactivity to a safe level?
