A radioactive compound with mass 330 grams decays at a rate of 21% per hour. Which equation represents how many grams of the compound will remain after 4 hours?C=330(1−0.21)C=330(1.21)4C=330(1+0.21)4C=330(1−0.21)(1−0.21)(1−0.21)(1−0.21)
Q. A radioactive compound with mass 330 grams decays at a rate of 21% per hour. Which equation represents how many grams of the compound will remain after 4 hours?C=330(1−0.21)C=330(1.21)4C=330(1+0.21)4C=330(1−0.21)(1−0.21)(1−0.21)(1−0.21)
Question Prompt: The question prompt is: "Which equation represents how many grams of the compound will remain after 4 hours?"
Decay Process: First, we need to understand the decay process. The compound decays at a rate of 21% per hour, which means that each hour, only 79% (100%−21%) of the compound remains.
Exponential Equation: To represent this decay as an exponential equation, we use the formula C=initial_amount×(decay_factor)time, where the decay factor is 1 minus the decay rate (expressed as a decimal).
Convert Decay Rate: Convert the decay rate of 21% to a decimal by dividing by 100. This gives us 0.21.
Find Decay Factor: Subtract the decay rate in decimal form from 1 to find the decay factor. This gives us 1−0.21=0.79.
Write Decay Equation: Now we can write the exponential decay equation using the initial amount of 330 grams and the decay factor of 0.79. The time is represented by the variable t, which in this case is 4 hours. So the equation is C=330×(0.79)t.
Substitute Time: Substitute 4 for t in the equation to find the amount of compound remaining after 4 hours. This gives us C=330×(0.79)4.
More problems from Write exponential functions: word problems