How do I answer the question and how am I supposed…

How do I answer the question and how am I supposed…

How do I answer the question and how am I supposed to know the empirical formula?? Please give as much explanation as possible

Problem V
Engineering Exploration (ENGE 1024)
Fall 2013

Remember to show all work and to use the appropriate format and paper heading.

The following problem is a revision of problem 8.3 of page 153 Engineering Exploration ENGE 1024
Virginia Tech 2011-2012, McGraw-Hill, 2011.

The decay of a radioactive element is described by the following equation:

where A is the amount of the element at time t,
is the amount of the element at time zero, and k is
the decay constant. The data for the decay of the radioactive element Balonium-245 is as follows:
Time
(Day)

Amount of Balonium-245
(grams)

0.000

45.3

0.0500

30.4

0.100

20.9

0.150

14.1

0.200
0.250

9.40
6.10

0.300

4.10

0.350

3.00

0.400

2.00

A) Using semilog-y paper, plot the data given above.
B) Use the method of selected points to determine the empirical function that describes the
amount of Balonium-245 as a function of time. Remember to use appropriate variables and to
report units.
C) Determine the decay constant, k. (Note: The units for k are in days-1)
D) The half-life of an element is defined as the amount of time for half of the element to decay, or
where A/ = 0.5. Determine the half-life of Balonium-245.
Dept. of Engineering Education, Fall 2013