Plutonium (Pu) 238 Half life

87.75 years

Using the given half-life, determine an exponential function that gives the proper decay rate for the given element. table of values listing the amount of the element you started with and then determining the amount of time to go from 1,000 units to the amount in the table.

Amount Remaining Years/Days to Decay to Remaining Amount

1000

900

800

700

600

500 (half-life)

400

300

200

100

0.0000000050

Make sure to show the work for each calculation as a function of time, A(t), where A is the amount remaining and t is time in years/days (depending on the half-life value.) You will be using a log function to calculate the time.

Make a graph of your table plotting out all points in the table. Use an appropriate scale for your graph and state the scale. Your axes should reflect the function A(t) (meaning one should be labeled A and the other t).