What will be the remaining mass of cobalt – 60 after undergoing three half life cycles?
180 g
2.50 g
30 g
1.25 g
The formula for calculating the remaining mass after a certain number of half-life cycles is:
Remaining Mass = Initial Mass × (1/2)^(number of half-life cycles)
Cobalt-60 has a half-life of 5.27 years. If it undergoes three half-life cycles (15.81 years), the remaining mass can be calculated as:
Remaining Mass = Initial Mass × (1/2)^(3)
= Initial Mass × (1/2)^3
= Initial Mass × (1/8)
Since the initial mass is not provided in the question, it is not possible to calculate the exact value of the remaining mass. However, based on the given answer choices, the closest option is 2.50 g.