Exam-style question
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A decay graph shows the number of radioactive nuclei decreasing over time. What does this graph indicate about the nature of radioactive decay?.
Model answer
What a good answer should say
- The graph indicates that radioactive decay is a random process, as the number of nuclei decreases exponentially over time.
- This randomness means that it is impossible to predict exactly when a particular nucleus will decay.
Explanation
Why this works
The evidence is the exponential decrease in the number of radioactive nuclei over time. This shows that decay occurs at a constant probability per unit time, which is characteristic of random processes.
The implication is that while we can predict the average behavior of a large number of nuclei, individual decay events are unpredictable. Therefore, we conclude that radioactive decay is inherently random.
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