0
What is the term given to the time it take for one half of a sample of radioactive nuclei to decay?
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
I believe that term would be 'half-life'
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
Is radioactive decay the same as organic decay?
No, radioactive decay is not the same as organic decay. The basic difference between radioactive decay and organic decay is that in organic decay, chemical compounds break down and the biochemical structure of the subject changes. This is a natural process that any biological structures will undergo, or it could be induced. In either case, it represents a chemical change. In radioactive decay, the actual atomic nuclei of atoms will break down in some way, depending on the substance being considered. It is the unstable atomic nucleus of given isotopes of elements that undergoes the change, and this is a nuclear or atomic change.
When an atom undergoes radioactive decay when does it become a completely different element?
An atom of a given isotope will undergo radioactive decay whenever it feels like it. No joke. The nucleus of a radioactive isotope is unstable. Always. But that atom has no predictable moment of instability leading immediately to the decay event. We use something called a half life to estimate how long it will take for half a given quantity of an isotope to undergo radioactive decay until half the original amount is left, but this is a statistically calculated period. No one knows how long it will take a given atom of a radioactive isotope to decay, except that those with very short half lives will pretty much disappear relatively quickly.
How can you say that radioactive decay is random unless you know that the nuclides are identical in the first place?
Radioactive decay is a random event. But we can assess it by statistical analysis of a large number of decay events across time for a given radionuclide. Standard stastical analysis ideas apply. The way we know that it is the radionuclide we specify is that we refine the sample chemically. Then we look at the decay mode. If it is a situation where there is particle emission, we can identify the particle and the energy it comes out at. If its electromagnetic, we can specify an energy associated with the photon. The mode of decay and the energy cast off are the ways we can insure our "count" of the decay events specifically targets the radionuclide we are investigating. That and the applied chemistry we specified to clean up the sample. We're good at this radioactive decay thing. We can count even a very few decay events, and do so accurately across time (though more is better). And because we've done our homework as regards type of decay and energies, we know what it is that is decaying, and how long it is taking to decay. We can arrive at a half-life for a given radionuclide. A link can be found below.
What is the decay rate of a radioactive isotope?
The decay rate of a specific radionuclide will depend on the quantity of the material in a sample. The more there is, the higher the decay rate. Decay rate for a specific isotope of a specific element is set by the nature of the radioisotope itself; it is an innate property or characteristic. Only by studying samples (specific quantities) containing large numbers of atoms of a given radioisotope, and by counting the number of decay events per unit of time, can we arrive at a characteristic called the half-life of that radioisotope.The half-life of a radionuclide is a statistically derived measure of the rate of its decay. And, to repeat, the rate of decay for a given radionuclide, is a natural characteristic of that radionuclide. It's the number of decays per unit of time that an observer can expect to count for a given sized sample of the material. Use the links below to gather more information.
What are the properties of radioactive particles?
Radioactive materials have unstable nuclei. That's what makes them what they are. The nucleus of a radionuclide will eventually decay. The time that must pass before this happens, and the manner in which the decay will take place vary from one radioisotope to another. As regards the length of time to decay, we cannot know for a given atom of a radionuclide just when it will decay. Certainly we can (and do) find what is called a half-life for each radioisotope. This is a statistically arrived at "average" for the length of time it will take for a given radioisotope to "lose" half its mass to decay. While we can't know when a given atom of something will decay, we can find, and with a great deal of accuracy, the length of time it will take for half of a large number of atoms of a given radionuclide to decay. When it comes to modes of radioactive decay, there are several, and each radioisotope has one of the modes as its own (though there are a few radionuclides that have a couple of different possible decay schemes). The decay schemes are spontaneous fission, alpha decay, beta decay (several kinds), proton emission, double proton emission, neutron emission, and cluster decay. This short post hits the nail on the head. More information is certainly out there, and Wikipedia has some good stuff posted. You'll find a link below to material that is on point.
What is half life of a isotope?
The half life of an isotope refers to the rate at which a radioactive isotope undergoes radioactive decay. Specifically, it is the amount of time it takes for half of a given sample of a radioactive isotope to decay.
What is the type of radioactive decay in which positive particles are given off?
It's called alpha-decay. The two protons and two neutrons are removed in the form of alpha particles, or helium nuclei.
Why is Radioactive decay is said to be random?
The underlying truth in radioactive decay is that on an individual basis, no unstable atom will have a predictable time until it will decay. We understand and characterize the decay of radionuclides on the basis of statistical analysis. Only by looking at a large number of atoms of a given isotope of a given element and counting the decay events over time can we quantify the decay rate. The term half-life is used to state (based on the statistics) when half of a given quantity of a substance will have undergone radioactive decay. Note that atoms are incredibly tiny things, and even if we have very tiny quantities of a given radioactive material, we'll have huge numbers of atoms of that material in the sample. The larger the number of atoms of material and the longer we count the decay events, the more accurate our half-life value will be. Having said all that, no one can predict when a given atom of any radionuclide will decay. Each is different, and that is the basis for the random nature of nuclear or radioactive decay.
Is radioactive decay the same as organic decay?
No, radioactive decay is not the same as organic decay. The basic difference between radioactive decay and organic decay is that in organic decay, chemical compounds break down and the biochemical structure of the subject changes. This is a natural process that any biological structures will undergo, or it could be induced. In either case, it represents a chemical change. In radioactive decay, the actual atomic nuclei of atoms will break down in some way, depending on the substance being considered. It is the unstable atomic nucleus of given isotopes of elements that undergoes the change, and this is a nuclear or atomic change.
When an atom undergoes radioactive decay when does it become a completely different element?
An atom of a given isotope will undergo radioactive decay whenever it feels like it. No joke. The nucleus of a radioactive isotope is unstable. Always. But that atom has no predictable moment of instability leading immediately to the decay event. We use something called a half life to estimate how long it will take for half a given quantity of an isotope to undergo radioactive decay until half the original amount is left, but this is a statistically calculated period. No one knows how long it will take a given atom of a radioactive isotope to decay, except that those with very short half lives will pretty much disappear relatively quickly.
When radioactive decays stop?
It will stop when there is nothing left to decay. There is basically no way to stop certain nuclides (isotopes) from decaying.
How can you say that radioactive decay is random unless you know that the nuclides are identical in the first place?
Radioactive decay is a random event. But we can assess it by statistical analysis of a large number of decay events across time for a given radionuclide. Standard stastical analysis ideas apply. The way we know that it is the radionuclide we specify is that we refine the sample chemically. Then we look at the decay mode. If it is a situation where there is particle emission, we can identify the particle and the energy it comes out at. If its electromagnetic, we can specify an energy associated with the photon. The mode of decay and the energy cast off are the ways we can insure our "count" of the decay events specifically targets the radionuclide we are investigating. That and the applied chemistry we specified to clean up the sample. We're good at this radioactive decay thing. We can count even a very few decay events, and do so accurately across time (though more is better). And because we've done our homework as regards type of decay and energies, we know what it is that is decaying, and how long it is taking to decay. We can arrive at a half-life for a given radionuclide. A link can be found below.
What are the different types of dating?
By far the most common is radioactive dating which involves checking the amount of a given radioactive isotope in a given sample is left over (and calculating from the half-life [the time it takes for a radioactive element/isotope to decay to half the original amount]). Another one would likely be tree-ring dating which only determines the age of trees by how many rings it has.
what are different types of dates?
By far the most common is radioactive dating which involves checking the amount of a given radioactive isotope in a given sample is left over (and calculating from the half-life [the time it takes for a radioactive element/isotope to decay to half the original amount]). Another one would likely be tree-ring dating which only determines the age of trees by how many rings it has.
The rate at which radioactive decay occur is given in half-life.explain the term and give the half-life of a few substances.?
Half life is the time interval in which the number of nuclei present at at a given time decay(or disintegrate) to half of its value.half life of hydrogen is 12.33 years,half life of cadmium is 5.1 X 10 raise to power 14 years,etc.
What is a high energy electron given off during radioactive decay called?
Beta Particles
Radioactive decay can be affected by?
The rate of decay of a radioactive element cannot be influenced by any physical or chemical change. It is a rather constant phenomenon that appears to be independent of all others. The rate of decay is given by an element's half life, which is the amount of time for approximately half of the atoms to decay.
