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An unstable atomic nucleus breaks apart, and converts into another atom. Some radiation will also be emitted.

Each type of atom (each isotope) has a characteristic half-life; for example, Tritium (3H - a hydrogen atom consisting of one proton and two neutrons) has a half-life of about 19 years. This means that if you have a large number of Tritium atoms, after 19 years half of them will have broken apart - changed into something else. However, you can't predict when an individual atom will break apart - except that there is a high probability that it will happen after a few times the half-life, at the most.

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