Radioactive decay
02/04/2013 by jgluvna
As nuclear power is once again considered as an alternative energy source, it is important to know the decay rate of all of the radioactive materials involved. In a typical Uranium-235 fission event, a U-235 nucleus absorbs a thermal neutron, producing a compound nucleus U-236 in a highly excited state. It is this nucleus, not the U-235 nucleus, that actually undergoes fission, splitting into two fragments. These fragments, between them, emit two neutrons, leaving Xe-140 and Sr-94 as fission fragments. The fragments Xe-140 and Sr-94 are both highly unstable and undergo beta decay (with the emission of an electron) until each reaches a stable end product. Find the differential equations that describe this situation. What is the half-life of this material? What are the long term environmental implications of creating all this radioactive waste?
Theory
- Derivatives of exponential function (Neuhauser, Claudia. Calculus for Biology and Medicine. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2000. 131)
References