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If a radioactive element has a half-life of 40 minutes and the initial count rate was 1000 per minute, how long will it take for the count rate to drop to 125 per minute?

A. 80 minutes
B. 120 minutes
C. 160 minutes
D. 200 minutes

Answer :

Final answer:

It takes 120 minutes for the count rate of a radioactive element with a half-life of 40 minutes to drop from 1000 per minute to 125 per minute, as it will halve three times.

Explanation:

To calculate the time it will take for the count rate to drop to 125 per minute from an initial count rate of 1000 per minute for a radioactive element with a half-life of 40 minutes, we use the concept of half-lives. After one half-life (40 minutes), the count rate would be halved from 1000 to 500 per minute; after two half-lives (80 minutes), it would halve again to 250 per minute; and after three half-lives (120 minutes), it would halve once more to 125 per minute.

Therefore, the correct answer is B: 120 minutes.

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