Can you explain it for me and the process an element or particle would go through? I know its definition, but I can't solve it if I were given a problem. And don't give me a formula; we're not supposed to solve it that way.
2007-02-20 15:20:36 · 5 answers · asked by broadway_enthusiast 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
The half-life is the time it takes for half of a sample of an element to decay.
For example, if you had element-x, the half-life of which is 2 hours. For half of X to decay it would take 2 hours. For the half of the remaining half (so the 1/4th), it would take another 2 hours; for the 1/8th of the original sample (half of 1/4th) to decay, another 2 hours and so on.
X - 1/2 decayed - 2 hours
X - 1/4 decayed - 2 hours
X - 1/8 decayed - 2 hours
X - 1/16 decayed - 2 hours
X - 1/32 decayed - 2 hours
And so on. The fraction is the fraction of the original sample. Also, once you have 1 atom of X remaining, the whole atom will decay instead of continuing to go into fractions.
2007-02-20 15:31:28 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Half life is the time taken for a substance to decay to half the inital mass. So after 1 half life, the percentage left of the substance will be 50% After 2 half lives, the percentage left will be 25% etc.
2016-05-24 00:51:10 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The half life is just the time it takes for the amount of whatever to half itself.
So, if you have 10 grams of something with a half life of 5 minutes, after five minutes you'd only have 5 grams of it (the rest changed into a different element, it can't really disappear).
2007-02-20 15:24:35 · answer #3 · answered by spidermilk666 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
the substance degrades half or looses half its mass after a particular (given) time period.
2007-02-20 15:25:03 · answer #4 · answered by veena_dracks84 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Here's the truth.
u'll never become a chemist, don't bother trying either.
u also sound so bossy, maybe u sshould be a waitress.
2007-02-20 15:28:19 · answer #5 · answered by Scpwnz 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋