Thread: Exponential decay

The decay of a radioactive substance is governed by the relation

N = Pe^(-kt)

where P is the amount at time t=0
N is the amount at time t
k is the decay constant

For a certain substance 14% has decayed in 23 years, calculate the half life of the substance.
How long will it take 44% of the substance to decay?

Please help, this is really puzzling me

Originally Posted by arandomnerd

For a certain substance 14% has decayed in 23 years, calculate the half life of the substance.

So we have

$\displaystyle N(23)=.86P=Pe^{23k}$.

Solve for $\displaystyle k$. To find the half-life $\displaystyle t_{1/2}$, we have

$\displaystyle .5P=Pe^{kt_{1/2}} \Longrightarrow t_{1/2}=\frac{\text{ln}(1/2)}{k}$.

Originally Posted by arandomnerd

How long will it take 44% of the substance to decay?

Solve for t in the equation

$\displaystyle .56P=Pe^{kt}$.