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To fully explain radioactive decay you need quantum mechanics.

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How does a sample of radioactive waste decay to a nonhazardous level?

All radioactive material has a characteristic half-life. This is a period during which half the matter from the original mass will have decayed into a daughter element. Either the daughter element is non-radioactive and therefore non-hazardous or it is radioactive and has its own half-life. The total radioactivity thus reduces over time and at some stage is deemed to reach a non-hazardous level.


How does radioactive decay become radioactive?

That depends on the specific radioisotope. For instance, uranium 238 emits an alpha particle during radioactive decay, reducing the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus by 2 each and producing thorium 234. On the other hand, carbon 14 emits a beta particle (an electron) during radioactive decay, decreasing the number of neutrons and increasing the number of protons by 1 each and producing nitrogen 14. There are quite a few other examples with different changes depending on the type of radioactive decay.


What happens during radioactive decay?

The timing of radioactive decay is unpredictable. The causes of radioactive decay are instability of a nucleus and chance events. Examples of these chance events are collisions by subatomic particles, vacuum fluctuations, and the like - unpredictable.


You are 14 and you have never ejaculated when it happens will you be able to differentiate it from pee?

Yes, you will probably ejaculate at night during sleep. It will be sticky and clearer than urine.


Why are radioactive waste harmful to human?

The high level waste, which is contained in the spent fuel unloaded from the reactor from time to time, is extremely radioactive and to be exposed to it even for a short time (minutes) would be inevitably fatal. This is why it is treated so carefully, stored underwater at first and then in shielded containers. However it is not likely to be dispersed in the environment, so even if there was an accident during handling it would only affect the few people nearby. The only real worry would be if terrorists got hold of the material and made a 'dirty bomb' which could be released in a city center. Unless they had proper shielded handling equipment though they would probably kill themselves first.

Related Questions

What happens during radioactive decay apex?

An unstable nucleus loses particles until it becomes stable.


What happens to the mass of a sample containing a radioactive element during its half-life?

Chawad says... They are directly proportional


What happens when T2 phages are grown in the presence of radioactive phosphorus?

When T2 phages are grown in the presence of radioactive phosphorus, the phage DNA will incorporate the radioactive phosphorus into its structure during replication. This allows for visualizing the localization of the phage DNA within the infected bacterial cell using autoradiography.


What happens to radioactive isotopes during radioactive decay?

That depends on the specific radioisotope. For instance, uranium 238 emits an alpha particle during radioactive decay, reducing the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus by 2 each and producing thorium 234. On the other hand, carbon 14 emits a beta particle (an electron) during radioactive decay, decreasing the number of neutrons and increasing the number of protons by 1 each and producing nitrogen 14. There are quite a few other examples with different changes depending on the type of radioactive decay.


What happens to an isotope during radioactive?

That depends on the specific radioisotope. For instance, uranium 238 emits an alpha particle during radioactive decay, reducing the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus by 2 each and producing thorium 234. On the other hand, carbon 14 emits a beta particle (an electron) during radioactive decay, decreasing the number of neutrons and increasing the number of protons by 1 each and producing nitrogen 14. There are quite a few other examples with different changes depending on the type of radioactive decay.


What is lost during radioactive decay?

Decay energy is the energy that has been freed during radioactive decay. When radioactive decay is ongoing it drops off some energy by means of discharging radiation.


What are unwanted radioactive products formed during nuclear reactions called?

Unwanted radioactive products formed during nuclear reactions are called nuclear waste or radioactive waste. These byproducts are often harmful to the environment and can remain radioactive for long periods of time, presenting challenges for disposal and management.


What happens to the count rate from a radioactive sample during 3 half lives?

The count rate decreases to 12.5% of the initial value after 3 half-lives, as radioactivity is reduced by half during each half-life.


What happens during radioactive dating?

Radioactive dating is carried out with substances which were formed at some unknown point in the past and contained a known proportion of a radioactive isotope of some element. Radioisotopes decay into other elements at a fixed and known rate. So, if you know how much of the radioactive isotope is still left in the sample, then you can work out how long it would have taken for the rest to have decayed into other elements. That gives the age of the sample.


Which law of motion explain what happens during a ride on the bumper cars?

i dont know im stupid


What happens to mass during chemical and physical changes. explain?

Law of Conservation of Mass: mass can not be created or destroyed, it can only be changed (transformed).


What happens to the atomic mass number in a radioactive substance?

In a radioactive substance, the atomic mass number may change as a result of radioactive decay. During radioactive decay, radioactive atoms undergo nuclear reactions, which can lead to the emission of radioactive particles such as alpha or beta particles. These emitted particles can cause a change in the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus, resulting in a different atomic mass number for the resulting atom or isotope.