The half life of a radioactive isotope 'X' is 20 years. It decays to another element 'Y' which is stable. The two elements 'X' and 'Y' were found to be in the ratio 1 : 7 in a sample of a given rock. The age of the rock is estimated to be
- 80 years
- 100 years
- 40 years
- 60 years
Answer
(4) 60 years
Solution
NX : NY = 1 : 7, the initial number of X atoms N0 = NX + NY = 8NX
NXN0 = 18 = ( 12 )n
n = 3 half-lives
Age of the rock = n T1/2 = 3 20 = 60 years
Answer: (4)