Term 2 Science

Radioactivity Half Life of a radioactive substance – The time taken for an amount of radioactive isotope (radioisotope) to decay to half of its original amount. Example – If I had 100g of Carbon, how long will it take to just have 500g? TIME (YEARS) AMOUNT (g) 10 1000 5700 500 11400 250 Answer = 5700 years OR Types of Radiation: Alpha decay: -formed when there are too many protons and neutrons. -if the element has over 85 protons – it’s alpha decay. Beta decay: -If it has under 20 protons and the number of neutrons, it’s stable. -Otherwise, beta decay is formed. Gamma decay: -Gamma decay accompanies other forms of radiation.