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The time it takes for a half of the element to decay. In Example: Technetium-99 has a half life of 6 hours. If you begin with a sample of 100g, then after 6 hours you will have 50 grams, at 12 hours you will have 25 grams and so on; however it will NEVER reach 0 (it will remain in exponentially small ammounts because of the asymptote in the graph). This specific exponential decay is shown by the equation y=100(0.5)((1/6)x)

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Radioactive elements comprise a majority?

Radioactive elements make up a small fraction of all naturally occurring elements in Earth's crust. Most elements are stable and non-radioactive. However, even though they are a minority, radioactive elements play important roles in various scientific, medical, and industrial applications.


When radioactive isotopes break down into other elements the process is called?

radioactive decay


What elements that emit atomic particles are called?

Elements that emit atomic particles are typically referred to as radioactive elements. These elements undergo radioactive decay and emit particles such as alpha particles, beta particles, or gamma rays as they try to become more stable.


List of radioactive elements?

Elements that decay (give off protons and neutrons) to form other elements. *It's not elements as such that are stable or unstable, but rather isotopes. Even elements of small atomic number have unstable isotopes that undergo radioactive decay, for example carbon-14. Elements with higher atomic numbers than Lead (82) are naturally radioactive in all isotopes. Bismuth (83) has an extremely long half-life, but the time generally becomes shorter (the decay more rapid) as the size of the nucleus gets progressively larger for heavier radioactive elements.


Do all elements have a half-life?

No, not all elements have a half-life. Half-life is a property of radioactive elements that undergo decay over time. Non-radioactive elements do not have a half-life because they do not decay in the same way.

Related Questions

Is any isotope of lead is radioactive?

many. one example is lead-214 with a halflife of 26.8 minutes.


Which is the next stable element after uranium?

none, uranium itself is unstable, there are no stable elements after bismuth; and even some researchers suggest that bismuth is an unstable radioactive element with a halflife approaching twice the age of the universe.


What is the time needed for half of a sample of a radioactive isotope to break down to form daughter isotopes called?

halflife


What if your cat is radioactive with the same halflife as carbon 14. how many years will it take for three fourths of your cat to degrade?

my grandma


Is it true that the half-life of a radioactive isotope decreases as the isotopes decay?

no, halflife is a constant for each isotope's decay process.


Do trace elements have to be radioactive?

No, trace elements are not necessarily radioactive. A link to a list of elements that have no natural radioactive isotopes is at a related question, below.


How do scientists use the halflife of radioactive isotopes to date rocks and fossils?

The basic idea is to compare the abundance of a naturally occurring radioactive isotope within a material to the abundance of its decay products; it is known how fast the radioactive isotope decays.


Radioactive elements comprise a majority?

Radioactive elements make up a small fraction of all naturally occurring elements in Earth's crust. Most elements are stable and non-radioactive. However, even though they are a minority, radioactive elements play important roles in various scientific, medical, and industrial applications.


What made up all radioactive elements?

After disintegration all radioactive elements are transformed in other elements.


Are all transition elements are radioactive?

Not all of the transition elements are radioactive. Many of them are, and some of them have common radioactive isotopes, but some of them have no naturally occurring radioactive isotopes. Please note that all elements have synthetic radioactive isotopes, at least.


The pressure and heat that produces magma are caused in part by?

Radioactive elements


What families have no radioactive elements?

Radioactive elements exist in all groups of the periodic table.