During radioactive decay, what wil be the parent/daughten ratio after 3 half-lifes? ?
The ratio is comparing amounts. For example, if you had 2 pounds of parent isotope and 4 pounds of daughter isotope, that ratio would be 2:4, or simplified, 1:2. It’s kind of like a fraction turned sideways. You can and should reduce ratios the same way you would simplify a fraction. So imagine it this way: if you had 32 pounds of parent isotope and one half-life went by, that means half of it would have decayed: you’d be left with 16 pounds of parent and 16 pounds of daughter. That makes for a 16:16 ratio – the same as 1:1. Remember the definition of half life – the amount of time it takes for one half of the original amount to have decayed. Once a second half life went by, half of the remaining parent isotope would decay, leaving only 8 pounds, etc, etc.
