Two radioactive elements X and Y have half-lives of and respectively. Initial samples of both elemen — Nuclear Chemistry and Radioactivity Chemistry Question
Question
Two radioactive elements X and Y have half-lives of $50\text{ min}$ and $100\text{ min}$ respectively. Initial samples of both elements contain the same number of atoms. What is the ratio of the remaining number of atoms of X to Y after exactly $200\text{ min}$?
Answer: B
💡 Solution & Explanation
For X: $n = 200/50 = 4$ half-lives. Remaining X = $N_0/16$. For Y: $n = 200/100 = 2$ half-lives. Remaining Y = $N_0/4$. Ratio X:Y = $(N_0/16) / (N_0/4) = 4/16 = 1/4$. Thus, $1:4$.
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