Question: A particular counting system has a stable average background rate (measured over a long time) of 45 counts/min. A decaying radioisotope source was introduced and

A particular counting system has a stable average background rate (measured over a long time) of 45 counts/min. A decaying radioisotope source was introduced and a 10-min count showed a total of 1752 counts. After a delay of 24 h, the 10-min count was repeated, this time giving a total of 832 counts.

 (a) What is the half-life of the source?

 (b) What is the expected standard deviation of the half-life value due to counting statistics?

Step by Step Solution

3.49 Rating (156 Votes )

There are 3 Steps involved in it

1 Expert Approved Answer
Step: 1 Unlock blur-text-image
Question Has Been Solved by an Expert!

Get step-by-step solutions from verified subject matter experts

Step: 2 Unlock
Step: 3 Unlock

Students Have Also Explored These Related Mathematics Questions!