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6 Radioactivity

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Question 131

At a remote monitoring station, a sealed radioactive source is used to check a radiation detector. The source is prepared immediately before a journey that takes 16 hours16\ \text{hours}16 hours. The detector check then takes a further 8 hours8\ \text{hours}8 hours.

The source has an initial activity of 640 kBq640\ \text{kBq}640 kBq and a half-life of 8.0 hours8.0\ \text{hours}8.0 hours.

For safe handling, the activity of the source must be no greater than 250 kBq250\ \text{kBq}250 kBq when it arrives. The detector gives usable readings only while the activity of the source is at least 75 kBq75\ \text{kBq}75 kBq.

a.

Calculate the activity of the source when it arrives and at the end of the detector check.

[4]
b.

Explain whether this source can be used for the detector check.

[2]
Markscheme

6 Radioactivity Questions

  1. GCSE
  2. /Physics
  3. /6 Radioactivity

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