A radioactive source has a half-life of 3 hours.
A detector near the source shows a reading of 16,000 16,000\,16,000 counts per second.
Background radiation can be ignored.
What is the reading on the detector 12 hours later?
1,0001,0001,000 counts per second
2,0002,0002,000 counts per second
4,0004,0004,000 counts per second
8,0008,0008,000 counts per second
484 exam-style questions on CIE IGCSE Physics 5.2 Radioactivity, covering 5.2.1 Background radiation and measuring count rate, 5.2.2a Alpha, beta and gamma emission, 5.2.2b Deflection and ionising effects of nuclear radiation, 5.2.3a Radioactive decay, 5.2.3b Effects of decay on the nucleus and decay equations, 5.2.4a Half-life, 5.2.4b Choosing isotopes for applications, and 5.2.5 Effects of ionising radiation and safety precautions. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.