The decay of a radioactive substance is modelled using the formula N=1000e−ktN = 1000e^{-kt}N=1000e−kt Where N N\,N is the number of atoms after t t\,t years and k k\,k is a positive constant.
Write down the number of atoms when the substance started to decay.
Given it takes 14.4 years for half of the substance to decay, find the value of k k\,k to three significant figures.
Calculate the number of atoms left when t=30t=30t=30.
Practise Edexcel A Level Maths Exponentials and Logarithms with exam-style questions for A Level Maths. 41 questions covering 14.1 Exponential Functions, 14.2 y = e^x, 14.3 Exponential Modelling, 14.4 Logarithms, 14.5 Laws of Logarithms, 14.6 Solving Equations using Logarithms, 14.7 Working with Natural Logarithms, and 14.8 Logarithms and Non-Linear Data, matched to the Edexcel A Level Maths (9MA0) specification and written in Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.
