How is radioactivity and radiometric dating are related?

Answer 1

When we use the term radioisotope, this means an isotope of an element that emits radiation, whether alpha, beta, or gamma in nature. Sometimes an element that is found in nature is not radioactive, but an isotope that is artificially produced by exposing the element to neutrons in a reactor, can often be found to be radioactive, because an extra neutron has been added to the nucleus. The nucleus has the same number of protons so is the same element, but the nucleus is now unstable and has become radioactive. Not all elements behave the same way. If you look up a particular element in Wikipedia you will find if it has radioisotopes in the details, and what sort of nuclear radiation is produced.

Answer 2

They really aren't. "Radiation" refers to any energetic release from a point, surface, or volume. Nuclear radiation is most different from the various kinds of other radiation (electromagnetic, for instance) in that it involves the nucleus of many atoms - either splitting them apart (nuclear fission - this happens in nuclear power plants) or slamming atoms together so hard that they become just one new atom. (nuclear fusion - this happens in stars, like the Sun, for instance.) In either case, huge amounts of energy is radiated.

Answer 3

All elements, even stable, naturally occurring ones, can have radioactive isotopes.

Answer 4

Radioisotopes and stable isotopes of the same element have the same number of protons.