GRADE

San Fabian National High School

San Fabian, Pangasinan 12
MODULE
in
GENERAL
PHYSICS 2
Science, Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics

Quarter 4 Week 5 Module 5

For queries, please contact:

Name of Teacher Contact Number Messenger
SHIELA MARIE S. QUIAMSON 09461547755 Shiela Marie Baltazar Sibayan-Quiamson

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Lesson What is Half-life?

Radioactivity is part of our daily lives. From the food we eat and drink, the
floors and walls of our homes and schools, radiation is naturally present. Our own
bodies- muscles, bones and tissues, contain naturally occurring radioactive
elements.

What is It
Most elements found in nature are stable; they do not change over time. But
there are also elements that are changing as time elapses because they are unstable.
These elements that undergo transformation are called radioactive elements and
the process involved is called radioactive decay.
The process of radioactive decay is unique for every element. Some decay very
fast, while some are very slow. This idea is related to the concept of half-life.
The half-life of a substance undergoing decay is the time it takes for the
amount of the substance to decrease by half.
The amount of radioactive material after series of half-lives could be
determined by the following formula:

Let us try this sample problem:

A sample containing carbon-14 has a mass of 25 g. What is the amount after 3 n?
Given:
A0 = 25 g
n =3 Tips:

If the number of
Unknown:
half-lives is not given,
A= ? divide the elapsed time by
the amount of half-life of the
Formula to be Used: radioactive isotopes.

A = A0 x (1/2)n

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Solution:
A = A0 x (1/2)n
= (25 g) x (1/2)3
= (25 g) x (.5)3
= (25 g) x (0.125)
= 3.125 g

Let us recall the formula for half-life which is: A = A0 x (1/2)n . This time
we will be using another formula deriving it from the given equation where:

n is equal to t/T; therefore,

We could derive a formula for half-life from the equation above and these are
the steps:

Step 1. Divide both sides by Ao.

Step 2. Cancel Ao.

*Therefore,
Step 3. Change ½ to 0.5 for
convenience.

4.Get the logarithm of both sides.

Hint: ab = b log a

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 5. Cross multiply.

*Therefore,

6.Divide both sides by log A/A0

7. Cancel log A/A0

8. Write the final formula.

Sample Problem:
Iodine-137 has a mass of 80 g. The amount after 24 days, decays to 10 g.
Calculate half-life.
Given:
Ao = 80 g
t = 24 days
A = 10 g

Unknown:
T =?

Formula to be Used:

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Solution:

Following the same procedures, the other formula when the elapsed time is
the unknown is given by:

What’s More

Activity 1. Half-Life Computation

Directions: Solve the following problems:

1. After 3 half-lives, how much of a 400 grams sample of uranium remains?

Given:
Unknown:
Formula to be Used:
Solution:

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 2. A radioactive element has a half-life of 20 days. How much of the element would
be left after 4 half-lives if the original amount was 4 g?
Given:
Unknown:
Formula to be Used:
Solution:

3. If the half-life of 100.0 grams of a radioactive isotope is 8 years, how many grams
will remain in 32 years?
Given:
Unknown:
Formula to be Used:
Solution:

Activity 2. Half-Life Computation, Level Up!

Directions: Solve for the half-life of the given radioactive isotopes. Show your
solution in the box provided.

Solution: Solution:

4. Protactinium-234
t = 3 hours
A0 = 100 g
A = 73.32
Half-life = ______

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 Solution: Solution:

What I Can Do

You are about to visit a certain place which could offer a lot of learning about
history of life on Earth. But before going out, you are being given the following data
which you could use on your journey:

As you go on, you have to choose one avatar below to represent your role in
the journey. Then answer the corresponding question.

PALEONTOLOGIST LABORATORY
ARCHAEOLOGIST
TECHNICIAN

Place your answers here:

You have found a piece of old

bone and believes that it may be
2500 years old. It was found out that
the carbon-14 has almost completed
75% of its first half-life. Is your
prediction of its age correct?

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 You have found a specimen
3.2-g sample of bismuth-212. How
much grams will be left 2 hours?

You have done a test on an

unidentified radioactive element.
Originally, the amount was 2.5 g.
After 23.5 days, it became 0.8 g.
What element could that be?

What do you think is the importance of studying the concept of half-life

in relation to the understanding of the history of life on Earth?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
_____________

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 Grade GENERAL PHYSICS 2

12
Quarter 4- Module 5
Module Title: HALF-LIFE
Subject Teacher: SHIELA MARIE S. QUIAMSON
6
Directions: Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write your answer on a separate
sheet of paper.
_____1. What is the half-life process?
A. Process of achieving radioactivity.
B. Process of emitting high energy particles.
C. The time it takes for half of the atom to decay.
D. The time it takes for half of the radioactive atoms to decay.

_____2. The half-life of a radioactive isotope is 1 day. After a day, it is reduced to ½. At the
end of three days, the amount of the remaining isotope is
A. 1/2 B. 1/4 C. 1/8 D. 1/16

_____3. Half-life refers to the amount of___________________.

A. volume B. time C. mass D. distance

_____4. A sample containing carbon-14 has a mass of 15 g. What is the amount after 5 n?
A. 0.38 g B. 0.42 g C. 0.47 g D. 0.52 g

*For numbers 5-6, refer to the given table.

_____5. Which element has the longest half-life?
A. Iodine-131 C. Bismuth-212
B. Polonium-215 D. Sodium-24

_____6. Which element has the shortest half-life?

A. Iodine-131 C. Bismuth-212
B. Polonium-215 D. Sodium-24

_____7. What is the percentage of a 100 g sample of Nitrogen-16 that decays to 6.25 g in 12
s?
A. 6.25% B. 12.5% C. 25% D. 100%

_____8. Thallium-208 has a half-life of 3.053 min. How long does it take for 80 g to decay to
12.4 g?
A. 2.16 min B. 4.3 min C. 6.7 min D. 8.21 min

_____9. Americium-242 has a half-life of 6 hours. If you started with 14 g and you now have
2.5 g, how much time has passed?

A. 14.91 hours B. 15.21 hours C. 17.34 hours D. 19.36 hours

_____10. What is the half-life of Co-60?

A. 5.26 years C. 6.25 years

B. 2.56 years D. 5.62 years

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_____11. How much will remain in Iodine-131, which has a half-life of 8 days, if 12 days have
passed and you have on original amount of 8 g?

A.1. 78 g B. 2.83 g C. 4.5 g D. 5.2 g

_____12. The longer the half-life of a radioactive isotope,

A. the more unstable it is. C. the more dangerous it is.

B. the less radioactive it is. D. the less balanced it is.

_____13. Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5730 years how many grams of a 4.0 g sample would
be left after 3.5 half-lives?

A. 1.0 g B. 0.50 g C. 0.35 g D. 0.38 g

_____14. Which graph represents that a radioisotope has undergone 3 half-lives? (The
shaded part represents the decayed atoms)

A. B. C. D.

_____15. What is the half-life of a radioactive isotope if 25% of the original mass of the
radioisotope remains after 20 days?

A. 5 days B. 10 days C. 15 days D. 20 days

_____16. After 16.0 days, 2.00 grams of an original 88.0 grams sample remain. What is the
half-life of the sample?

A. 2.93 days B. 3.02 days C. 4.12 days D. 5.08 days

_____17. The half-life of cobalt-60 is 5 years. If you have 10 grams of Co-60, how much do
you have after 20 years?

A. 1.25 g B. 1.5 g C. 1.02 g D. 0 .63 g

_____18. If you have 18.2 g of a radioactive element at the beginning, what is its half- life if it
decayed to 3.65 g after 5 hours?

A. 0.46 hours B. 2.16 hours C. 11.6 hours D.12.8 hours

____19. After 16.0 days, 2.00 grams of an original 118.0 grams sample remain. What is the
half-life of the sample?

A. 94.12 days B. 101.50 days C. 107.8 days D.112.6 days

_____20. The half-life of protactinium-226 is 2 minutes. If you started with 20 grams of Pa-
226, how much do you have after 6 minutes?

A. 1.8 g B. 2.5 g C. 3.2 g D. 4.6

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