Cm-242 decays to Pu-238 with half life of 0.5yrs. Each decay produces and alpha with 6.2 MeV of kinetic energy. Pu-238 decays with a half life of 87.7 yrs to essentially stable U-234. Each Pu decay produces an alpha with 5.5 MeV of kinetic energy.
(a) If there is 1 kg of Cm-242 initially, what is the activity of Cm-242 after 4 years?
(b) Assuming zero Pu initially, what is the Pu-238 activity at the end of the 4 year period?
(c) If the kinetic energy from the alpha can be converted to electrical power with 5% efficiency and you need 200 W, how much Cm will you need?