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First, it isn't very accurate to talk about a radioactive "element"; you should talk about radioactive isotopes. Different isotopes of the same element can have very different behavior in this sense. For example, hydrogen-1 and hydrogen-2 are stable, while hydrogen-3 is not (half-life about 19 years).
Individual atoms, in a radioactive isotope, will decay at a random moment. The half-life refers to how long it takes for half of the atoms in a given sample to decay (and convert to some other type of isotope).
Dahlia Miller
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago[Radioactive half life is how long it takes for half the radioactive substance to decay. For example if something takes 100 years to decay, its half life is 50 years ^^]
That is a bit incorrect (it assumes a linear decay). Radioactive isotopes decay exponentially, so they never "completely" finish decaying. Half-life is indeed the time it takes for half of a sample to decay. If we have 100 isotopes and their half life is 1 year, then after 1 year we have 50 isotopes undecayed. After another 1 year, half of that will have decayed, so we have only 25 isotopes left undecayed. After another year, about 12-13 will be left, etc.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoDepends on the isotope being used for dating.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoThere is some indication that Bismuth, normally considered stable, is actually radioactive with a halflife several times the age of the universe.
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How do you determine the half life of a radioactive substance that has changed through radioactive decay After 40 days the original substance left is is one sixteenth of the original amount?
the halflife is 10 days
How long will it take half of a radioactive sample to decay?
The length of time depends on the element and isotope, but the point at which half of the sample has decayed is known as the half-life.
What is the radioactive form of carbon?
There are several radioactive forms of carbon. The most familiar, used in carbon dating, is carbon-14. All of the others have very short half-lives.Isotopes of carbon range from carbon-8 to carbon-22. Carbon-12 and carbon-13 are stable and non-radioactive. Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5730 years. The longest lived beyond that is carbon-11 at 20.3 minutes.
When radioactive isotopes break down into other elements the process is called?
radioactive decay
Is argon radioactive?
Over 99.999% of argon is not radioactive. A trace of radioactive argon-39 can be found in nature, but it is not significant. Synthetic radioactive isotopes of argon exist, as they do for all elements.
Is any isotope of lead is radioactive?
many. one example is lead-214 with a halflife of 26.8 minutes.
How would you describe the isotopes of hydrogen?
All atoms of a specific element have the same number of protons in their nucleus, but the number of neutrons in the nucleus may vary these are isotopes of that element.Hydrogen has several possible isotopes, only the first three of these are commonly referred to:hydrogen or protium or hydrogen-1, 1 proton 0 neutrons, stabledeuterium or hydrogen-2, 1 proton 1 neutron, stabletritium or hydrogen-3, 1 proton 2 neutrons, radioactive halflife 12.26 yearshydrogen-4, 1 proton 3 neutrons, radioactive halflife about 139 yoctosecondshydrogen-5, 1 proton 4 neutrons, radioactive halflife about 910 yoctosecondshydrogen-6, 1 proton 5 neutrons, radioactive halflife 290 yoctosecondshydrogen-7, 1 proton 6 neutrons, radioactive halflife 23 yoctosecondsetc.
What is the time needed for half of a sample of a radioactive isotope to break down to form daughter isotopes called?
halflife
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.
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
How do you determine the half life of a radioactive substance that has changed through radioactive decay After 40 days the original substance left is is one sixteenth of the original amount?
the halflife is 10 days
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.
What kind of radioactive waste has the longest half-life?
Uranium has the longest half-life element
How does the length of the half-life of the element correspond to the radioactivity of the element?
The length of time required for half of a sample of radioactive material to decay
What is halflife about?
Half-life is the time it takes for one half of the radioactive material to decay. It is logarithmic, so after two half-lives, one quarter remains - then one eighth - etc.
When was Illadelph Halflife created?
Illadelph Halflife was created on 1996-09-24.
How do you shorten the half-life of a radioactive element?
Making any change in the half-life of an isotope of any element is generally something that lies outside our abilities. A very few radioactive materials have demonstrated a change in their half-lives when bathed in intense magnetic fields. Generally, however, the half-life on a given radionuclide is not something that can be changed. A number of experiments have been conducted wherein investigators have deliberately sought to influence radioactive half-life, but in all but the rarest cases, radionuclides are sublimely resistant to having their half-lives changed.
