Half-Life
from-http://www.rcs.k12.va.us/chemistrynhs/advanced/01_adv_atomic/advanced_atomic.htm
Atoms decay by transforming protons and neutrons
into other particles. This decay process is
predictable in that we can determine how many atoms
will decay over a given period of time, we just don't
know which atoms will decay. Half-life is the
time it takes for half of the original sample of
radioactive nuclei to decay. Half-life is a
statistical model. The number of decay is not
completely regular, but on average the number of
decays for a particular isotope is consistent.
500g of X going through 6 half-lives
500 g 250
g 125
g 62.5
g 31.25
g 15.625
g 7.8125
g
|
half-life
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7 |
8 |
|
fraction
remaining
|
1
|
1/2
|
1/4
|
1/8
|
1/16
|
1/32
|
1/64
|
1/128 |
1/256 |
graphing examples
This plot shows how the number of radioactive
nuclei in a sample falls with time. After 0.7 hours the original
number of 1000 active nuclei has fallen to 500. The strength of
the source has accordingly fallen in half. Of the remaining
active nuclei a further half will have decayed in the following
0.7 hours leaving only 250 and so on down to 125 after 2.1
hours. The time taken for the strength of the source to fall in
half is called the half-life and depends only on the particular
element involved and exactly how unstable it is.
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