A radioactive material decays by 
-particle emission. During the first 2 seconds of a measurement, 
-particles are emitted and the next 2 seconds 
-particles are emitted. Calculate the mean-life of this material in seconds to the nearest whole number. ( 
and 
)
Text Solution
Verified by ExpertsCHECK THE SOLUTION.
Let 
be the number of radioactive nuclei at time 
. Number of nuclei decayed in time t are given
, which is also equal to the number of beta particles emitted the same interval of time. For the given condition,
Dividing (ii) by (i) we get
Let us take 
Then the above equation is,
or 
and 
∴ From equation (iii) either
but 
is not accepted because which means 
. Hence
Substituting the given values, 
Mean life 
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