Half Life Flashcards
Why don’t we know when’s a radioactive isotope would decay
Because the decay process is completely random
What is radioactive activity
Overall rate of decay of all the isotope in our sample
What is radioactive activity measured in
Becquerels (bq)
1st def of half life (radioactive nuclei)
The time taken for the number of radioactive nuclei in a sample to halve
2nd def for half life (decay)
The time taken for the number of decay or activity to halve
What happens to the number of unstable particle as time goes by
It decreases
Why do unstable particles decrease over time
Since there are fewer particles to decay the overall rate of decay (activity) will also decrease
What is a Geiger- muller tube and counter
Records all the decays that reach them each second
What records all the decay that reaches them each second
Geiger muller tube and counter
What does a Geiger muller counter record
Gamma alpha and beta as the count rate which is used to estimate the activity
