Why does radioactive elements have shorter half-life period than other elements in th periodic table?

Answer 1

..........um........uh.......dunno..dont care..zzzzzzzzzz

Answer 2

I really dislike the term radioactive elements since most elements have some istope which is radioactive but we talk about Potassium all the time but never refer to it as radioactive.

There are both stable and unstable nuclear configurations. When the nucleus is stable, it doesn't have a half-life since it won't decay into anything else. However, when the nucleus is in an unstable configuration; it will emit a particle to reconfigure itself to try and gain stability. Normally, this particle is either a proton or a neutron however it's possible to give off just energy as well.

For example Potassium 40 is unstable and undergoes decay by changing a particle into something which will increase its stability.
However Potassium 39 is a stable element. Therefore, it's not the element perse but rather an isotope of the element. Each element is determined by the number of prtons in it so if the number changes, we have a new element.

Answer 3

Radioactive elements are the only elements with a half-life. Their nuclei are unstable and decompose into more stable nuclei with the loss of one or more of the following: alpha particles (helium nuclei), beta particles (free electrons), gamma rays, other subatomic particles. Stable nuclei, such as that of lead, do not have half-lives because they do not decompose (stable). Yes, that is a tautology like most scientific statements. Radioactive elements are unstable due to an imbalance in the nuclear forces.

Answer 4

Thank you for your question.

The half-life of a quantity subject to exponential decay is the time required for the quantity to decay to half of its initial value. The concept originated in the study of radioactive decay, but applies to many other fields as well, including phenomena which are described by non-exponential decays.

It can be shown that, for exponential decay, the half-life t1 / 2 obeys this relation:

t_{1/2} = \frac{\ln (2)}{\lambda}

where

* ln(2) is the natural logarithm of 2, and
* λ is the decay constant, a positive constant used to describe the rate of exponential decay.

The half-life is related to the mean lifetime τ by the following relation:

t_{1/2} = \ln(2) \cdot \tau

Getting to the nub of your question, radiactive elements are less stable and seeking to gecame less complicated.

I have attached some references.

Regards

Answer 5

Becaue by definition radioactive elements are unstable, and so will decay into more stable forms at a much faster rate than any other "normal" elements.

Answer 6

Radioactive elements are the only elements with a half-life. Their nuclei are unstable and decompose into more stable nuclei like alpha particles , beta particles , gamma rays, Stable nuclei, such as lead, do not have half-lives because they do not decompose. .

Answer 7

All the elements have radio active isotopes.

All the radio active isotopes have half-life periods.

Lead with mass number 204 is radio active and its half life period is 1.4 x 10 ^17 years.

Answer 8

its the radioactive part..not the element..that has half life..duh !!!

Answer 9

I think they spoil like milk i suppose