Photo AI
Medical supplies, such as the bandage shown in the photograph, have to be sterilised before they are sold - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 6 - 2017 - Paper 1
Question 6
Medical supplies, such as the bandage shown in the photograph, have to be sterilised before they are sold. There are two ways of sterilising medical supplies: - th... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Medical supplies, such as the bandage shown in the photograph, have to be sterilised before they are sold - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 6 - 2017 - Paper 1
Step 1
Suggest one advantage of using radiation rather than high temperatures to sterilise medical supplies.
Answer
One advantage of using radiation is that it does not damage or affect the packaging or bandages. High temperatures may cause damage, burning, or melting, which could compromise the integrity of the medical supplies.
Step 2
Calculate how long it takes for the activity of a sample of cobalt-60 to fall to one quarter (25%) of its original value.
Answer
To calculate the time it takes for the activity to fall to one quarter (25%), we can use the half-life of Cobalt-60. Since one quarter of the original amount corresponds to two half-lives, we perform the following calculation:
Since each half-life is 5 years, total time = 2 * 5 years = 10 years.
Thus, it takes 10 years for the activity of cobalt-60 to fall to one quarter of its original value.