If you have 24 grams of an unstable atom with a half life of 5,000 years, how many grams would be left after 15,000 years?

To solve this question, we need to use the concept of half-life. The half-life of a substance refers to the time it takes for half of the substance to decay.

In this case, if the half-life of the unstable atom is 5,000 years, it means that after 5,000 years, half of the atom will decay, leaving only half of the original amount.

To calculate the amount remaining after a certain number of half-lives, we can use the formula:

Remaining amount = Initial amount × (1/2)^(number of half-lives)

Given that we have 24 grams of the unstable atom, we need to calculate the number of half-lives that occur in 15,000 years.

Number of half-lives = Time period / Half-life

Number of half-lives = 15,000 years / 5,000 years = 3

Now, we can substitute the values into the formula:

Remaining amount = 24 grams × (1/2)^(3) = 24 grams × (1/2)^(3) = 24 grams × (1/8) = 3 grams

Therefore, after 15,000 years, there would be 3 grams of the unstable atom remaining.