An inappropriate linear model for radioactive decay: This is a continuation of . Physicists have established that radioactive substances display constant percentage decay, and thus radioactive decay is appropriately modeled exponentially. This exercise is designed to show how using data without an understanding of the phenomenon that generated them can lead to inaccurate conclusions.
a. Plot the data points from . Do they appear almost to fall on a straight line?
b. Find the equation of the regression line and add its graph to the one you made in part a.
c. If you used the regression line as a model for decay of U239, how long would it take for the initial 1 gram to decay to half that amount? Compare this with your answer to part d.
d. The linear model represented by the regression line makes an absurd prediction concerning the amount of uranium 239 remaining after 1 hour. What is this prediction?
Already registered? Login
Not Account? Sign up
Enter your email address to reset your password
Back to Login? Click here