For the reactor described in the previous question, suppose the initial number of radionuclides is 2.0 × 10⁶ at t = 0. Which graph correctly represents N versus t? Image
Options

Question

For the reactor described in the previous question, suppose the initial number of radionuclides is 2.0 × 10⁶ at t = 0. Which graph correctly represents N versus t? Image

G1 Physics · Accepted Answer

From the previous question, the steady-state number is N = Rτ = 1000 × 40 × 60 = 2.4 × 10⁶. Here the initial number is 2.0 × 10⁶, which is below the steady-state value. Therefore N(t) increases monotonically and approaches 2.4 × 10⁶ asymptotically. The corresponding graph is option C.