We know that the amount of Polonium-210 in a sample after t days is given by
Q(t)where C is the original amount of the sample, and k is some positive constant.The question asks us what percentage of the sample decays in a day. Since t is measured in days, the amount that decays in a day is Q(t)−Q(t+1). The percentage of Q(t) that this represents is 100Q(t)Q(t)−Q(t+1). (For example, if there were two grams at time t, and one gram at time t+1, then 10012−1=50: 50% of the sample decayed in a day.)In order to simplify, we should figure out a better expression for Q(t). As usual, we make use of the half-life.Q(138)Ce−k⋅138(e−k)138e−kNow, we have a better formula for Q(t):Q(t)Q(t)Finally, we can evaluate what percentage of the sample decays in a day.100Q(t)Q(t)−Q(t+1)=Ce−kt=2C=2C=21=2−1=2−1381=C(e−k)t=C⋅2−138t=100C⋅2−138tC⋅2−138t−C⋅2−138t+1(C1C1)=1002−138t2−138t−2−138t+1=100(2−138t−2−138t+1)2138t=100(1−2−1381)≈0.5
About 0.5% of the sample decays in a day.
Remark: when we say that half a percent of the sample decays in a day, we don't mean half a percent of the original sample. If a day starts out with, say, 1 microgram, then what decays in the next 24 hours is about half a percent of that 1 microgram, regardless of what the “original" sample (at some time t=0) held.
In particular, since the sample is getting smaller and smaller, that half of a percent that decays every day represents fewer and fewer actual atoms decaying. That's why we can't say that half of the sample (50%) will decay after about 100 days, even though 0.5% decays every day and 100×0.5=50.