Which statement below correctly explains what is happening to the number of parent and daughter atoms with each half-life?
a
For each half-life, the number of parent atoms decrease while the number of daughter atoms increase.
b
For each half-life, the number of parent atoms decrease and the number of daughter atoms decrease.
c
For each half-life, the number of parent atoms increase and the number of daughter atoms increase.
d
For each half-life, the number of parent atoms increase while the number of daughter atoms decrease.
a) For each half-life, the number of parent atoms decrease while the number of daughter atoms increase.
The correct statement is:
a) For each half-life, the number of parent atoms decrease while the number of daughter atoms increase.
The correct statement is option A: For each half-life, the number of parent atoms decrease while the number of daughter atoms increase.
Explanation:
In radioactive decay, the parent atoms decay over time to form daughter atoms. The half-life is the time it takes for half of the parent atoms to decay. During each half-life, half of the parent atoms will decay, leading to a decrease in the number of parent atoms. At the same time, the daughter atoms are formed as a result of the decay, leading to an increase in the number of daughter atoms. This process continues with each subsequent half-life.