3.2 grams
The first thing to do is calculate how many half lives have expired. So take the time of 72 seconds and divide by the length of a half life which is 38 seconds. So
72 / 38 = 1.894736842
So we're over 1 half life, but not quite 2 half lives. So you'll have something less than 12/2 = 6 grams, but more than 12/4 = 3 grams.
The exact answer is done by dividing 12 by 2 raised to the power of 1.8947. So let's calculate 2^1.8947 power
= 12 g / (e ^ ln(2)*1.8947)
= 12 g / (e ^ 0.693147181 * 1.8947)
= 12 g / (e ^ 1.313305964)
= 12 g / 3.718446464
= 3.227154167 g
So rounded to 2 significant figures gives 3.2 grams.
