Calculate radioactive decay, remaining quantity, elapsed time and half-life periods
Half-life is the time required for a quantity to reduce to half its initial value. This concept is commonly used in nuclear physics to describe how quickly unstable atoms undergo radioactive decay, but it's also applicable to other fields like pharmacology, chemistry, and environmental science.
Carbon-14 (t½ = 5,730 years) is used to date organic materials up to about 50,000 years old.
Example: A fossil with 25% of original C-14 is approximately 11,460 years old.
Technetium-99m (t½ = 6 hours) is used in medical imaging. Its short half-life minimizes patient radiation exposure.
Plutonium-239 (t½ = 24,100 years) requires long-term storage solutions due to its long half-life.
| Isotope | Half-Life | Application |
|---|---|---|
| Carbon-14 | 5,730 years | Archaeological dating |
| Potassium-40 | 1.25 billion years | Geological dating |
| Iodine-131 | 8 days | Medical treatment |
| Uranium-238 | 4.5 billion years | Nuclear fuel |