Prepare written answers to the following exercises:
1. The useful production of nuclear energy is accompanied by the production of radioactive decay that may be considered radioactive waste products. Consider the following products of a nuclear power plant: U-234, Th-230, Rn-222, and Ra-226. Write the nuclear equation for the alpha decay of each nuclide.
2. The half-life of a radioactive element is important when considering its application in medicine. For example, iodine-131 is often used in the imaging of the thyroid. The reason is that iodine is readily absorbed by the thyroid gland. Another reason is the short half-life of iodine-131. I-131 gas has a half-life of 8.0 days.
a. If you started with 5 x 1010 iodine atoms, how many are left after approximately 1 month?
b. Why is it important that there will be very few I-131 left in your thyroid after 1 month of exposure?
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