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Equations Radioactive decay: ... These equations need to be refined such that the notation is defined as has been done for the previous sets of equations. Name
The radioactive decay can produce a stable nuclide or will sometimes produce a new unstable radionuclide which may undergo further decay. Radioactive decay is a random process at the level of single atoms: it is impossible to predict when one particular atom will decay.
Specific activity (symbol a) is the activity per unit mass of a radionuclide and is a physical property of that radionuclide. [1] [2] It is usually given in units of becquerel per kilogram (Bq/kg), but another commonly used unit of specific activity is the curie per gram (Ci/g).
the equation indicates that the decay constant λ has units of t −1, and can thus also be represented as 1/ τ, where τ is a characteristic time of the process called the time constant. In a radioactive decay process, this time constant is also the mean lifetime for decaying atoms.
Types of radioactive decay include gamma ray; beta decay (decay energy is divided between the emitted electron and the neutrino which is emitted at the same time) alpha decay; The decay energy is the mass difference Δm between the parent and the daughter atom and particles. It is equal to the energy of radiation E.
Rutherford applied the principle of a radioactive element's half-life in studies of age determination of rocks by measuring the decay period of radium to lead-206. Half-life is constant over the lifetime of an exponentially decaying quantity, and it is a characteristic unit for the exponential decay equation. The accompanying table shows the ...
Secular equilibrium can occur in a radioactive decay chain only if the half-life of the daughter radionuclide B is much shorter than the half-life of the parent radionuclide A. In such a case, the decay rate of A and hence the production rate of B is approximately constant, because the half-life of A is very long compared to the time scales ...
The four most common modes of radioactive decay are: alpha decay, beta decay, inverse beta decay (considered as both positron emission and electron capture), and isomeric transition. Of these decay processes, only alpha decay (fission of a helium-4 nucleus) changes the atomic mass number ( A ) of the nucleus, and always decreases it by four.