Asked by kelvin calin

Write a hypothesis about how the number of half-lives affects the number of radioactive atoms. Use the "if . . . then . . . because . . ." format and be sure to answer the lesson question: "How does the number of radioactive atoms change over time?"

f the number of half-lives that pass increases, then the number of radioactive atoms will decrease by half for each half-life (after n half-lives only (1/2)^n of the original atoms remain), because radioactive decay causes a constant fraction of the remaining unstable atoms to decay in each half-life.

How does the number of radioactive atoms change over time? It decreases exponentially over time, halving every half-life and approaching zero asymptotically.
Sample Response: If the number of half-lives increases, then the number of radioactive atoms decreases, because approximately half of the atoms' nuclei decay with each half-life.

What did you include in your hypothesis? Check all that apply.

The "if" part of the hypothesis refers to the number of half-lives.
The "then" part of the hypothesis refers to a change in the number of radioactive atoms.
The "because" part of the hypothesis connects half-life to the rate of decay of the atoms.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Hypothesis (if . . . then . . . because . . .):
If the number of half-lives that pass increases, then the number of radioactive atoms will decrease by half for each half-life (after n half-lives only (1/2)^n of the original atoms remain), because radioactive decay causes a constant fraction of the remaining unstable nuclei to decay in each half-life.

Answer to the lesson question:
How does the number of radioactive atoms change over time? It decreases exponentially over time, halving each half-life and approaching zero asymptotically.

What I included in the hypothesis (check all that apply):
- The "if" part of the hypothesis refers to the number of half-lives.
- The "then" part of the hypothesis refers to a change in the number of radioactive atoms.
- The "because" part of the hypothesis connects half-life to the rate of decay of the atoms.