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What does the term half life mean and give the half life of a few substances?
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
The term half-life is applied to the time it takes half of a sample of a radioactive substance to decay. It really is as simple as that, but we'd better add a few things to make it clear. Let's look a bit more closely.
Radioactive materials or substance are unstable. That is, the nuclei of the atoms of radioactive materials are unstable, and they will want to undergo a change that will allow them to get to a more stable state. Radioactive decay is the term we apply to the nuclear decay of these materials.
Radioactive materials undergo decay at a given rate. If we have an atom of a radioactive material it will eventually decay, but we cannot be sure when a specific atom will actually decay. But we can do a statistical analysis of a large sample and get an accurate answer. By carefully measuring decay events and making statistical calculations, we have arrived at some very accurate figures for the half-lives of radioactive materials. They vary widely from the tiniest fractions of a second to many billions of years.
Here are some common radioisotopes and their half-lives:
- Uranium-238 has a half-life of 4.468 x 109 years. That's 4.468 billion years.
- Plutonium-239 has a half-life of 24,100 years.
- Cobalt-60 has a half-life of 5.2714 years.
- Radon-222 has a half-life of 3.8235 days.
- Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5,730 (+/- 40) years.
The half-life is the time it takes for one-half of something (usually a radioactive isotope) to decay.
Wiki User
∙ 6y ago
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoThe term half life applies to the period of time over which there is a 50% probability some single event will occur. It is used in many areas of science. An example is a capacitor discharging through a resistor or the decay of a radioactive isotope. It is a part of the law of natural decay.
Suppose we take the radioactive element Plutonium. This has a half life of 24,100 years. After this amount of time, since there is a 50-50 chance for each atom in this sample to decay, half of the atoms in a sample will have decayed in 24,100 years. After another 24,100 years, half of the half will have decayed meaning you still have a quarter of it left. After another 24,100 years, half of the quarter will have decayed meaning you still have an eighth of it left and so on.
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What are the basc substances important to life?
If you mean to sustain life, the basics are carbon and water (hydrogen and oxygen), as far as I know.
WHAT DO WE MEan when speak of a substances composition?
it means give me send me your number on facebook. my user-name is charlie kc
How is half time used on an element?
If you mean HALF LIFE, that is the length of time it takes a quantity of a radioactive element to lose half its radioactivity.
Does half-life mean half of somethings lifespan?
It is the amount of time a radioactive atom takes to decay and have half of what its original mass was. Example: an atom has 20g, one half-life later it has 10g, and then 5g and then 2.5, etc.
How would the half life equation of aluminum be balanced differently?
Not exactly sure what you mean about "aluminum's half life equation." Exponential decay, from where we get the half-life equation from, has nothing to do with mass, atomic number, etc... and therefore has nothing to do with any particular isotope.
What does it mean to give someone your life and your love?
It means that the head is a world and the glass is always half full.
What did Edward Elric mean when he said to Winry Rockbell that he'll give her half of his life if she gave him half?
It is his way of proposing (based on the Law of Equivalent Exchange in alchemy).
What is the lifespan of the Mu meson?
It has a mean lifetime of 2.2 microseconds, this is equivalent to a half-life of about 1.5 microseconds.It has a mean lifetime of 2.2 microseconds, this is equivalent to a half-life of about 1.5 microseconds.It has a mean lifetime of 2.2 microseconds, this is equivalent to a half-life of about 1.5 microseconds.It has a mean lifetime of 2.2 microseconds, this is equivalent to a half-life of about 1.5 microseconds.
The rate of decay of a radioactive element is measured by its what?
Any of the following can be used: the half-life, or the mean lifetime, or the decay constant.Any of the following can be used: the half-life, or the mean lifetime, or the decay constant.Any of the following can be used: the half-life, or the mean lifetime, or the decay constant.Any of the following can be used: the half-life, or the mean lifetime, or the decay constant.
What does it mean to have a half life?
A half life means the time required for something to fall to half its initial value. The original term was used by Ernest Rutherford's discovery of the principle in 1907 as "half life period," but was shortened to "half life," in the 1950's.
What are the basc substances important to life?
If you mean to sustain life, the basics are carbon and water (hydrogen and oxygen), as far as I know.
What is the half lie of a radioisotope?
I assume you mean "half life". That means, how long does it take for half of the atoms in a sample to decay.
Do you half to play on the PC to play half life 2 in co-op?
By co-op you mean mulitplayer. Yes. Half-Life 2: Deathmatch is only on PC.
WHAT DO WE MEan when speak of a substances composition?
it means give me send me your number on facebook. my user-name is charlie kc
What is the value of your half dollar?
That depends on which half dollar you mean. This question is far too vague to give a specific answer.
What does half life of a pill mean?
A "Half-Life" is not half of a life, it is half of the life, then half of that life, and then half of THAT life, and so on and so on. For example: Rock has a half life of 100 ---> 50 ---> 25 ---> 12.5 ---> 6.25 ---> and so on. You just keep dividing the life it has, by 2. Another Example: If you take a dissolving vitamin, and weigh it (20g), and put it in water for 1 minute, it should dissolve into ALMOST half of its original weight, into 10g. Scientists often use the method of "Half-Life" to measure the age of a rock or rock formation. Sources: Am a student in science class
How is half time used on an element?
If you mean HALF LIFE, that is the length of time it takes a quantity of a radioactive element to lose half its radioactivity.
