☢️ Nuclear Decay Lab

☢️ Nuclear Decay

Parent Isotope

Initial N: 200

Time Speed: 1x

Semi-Log Plot

Decay Chain

C-14(beta-)200\u2193

N-14(stable)0

Measurements

T½ = 15 s

λ = 0.0462 s⁻¹

N(parent) = 200

t = 0.0 s

N(t) = N₀ · e⁻λt

Radioactive Decay

Radioactive decay is a random process. Each nucleus has a probability of decaying per unit time. The half-life is the time for half the nuclei to decay. Alpha decay emits He-4, beta decay converts neutrons to protons (or vice versa), gamma emission releases energy without changing Z or A.

Nuclear Decay Simulator — Radioactive Decay Chains

This nuclear decay simulator visualizes radioactive decay for four isotopes — Carbon-14, Uranium-238, Technetium-99m, and Radon-222 — including their full decay chains. Colored dots represent nuclei and animated decay particles (alpha in red, beta in blue, gamma in amber) fly outward with trails when decays occur. The lower canvas plots N(t) decay curves for each nuclide in the chain on a normal or semi-log scale, with a dashed vertical line at the parent's half-life. A sidebar shows each chain step, decay type, and live measurements.

What you can do in this simulation

Choose from Carbon-14, Uranium-238, Technetium-99m, and Radon-222
Set initial nucleus count (50–500) and time speed (0.1x–5x)
Watch animated alpha, beta, and gamma decay particles with trails
Toggle semi-log scale to linearize the exponential decay curve
View full decay chain with type per step and live half-life and lambda values

Concepts covered

radioactive decay · half-life · decay constant · alpha decay · beta decay · decay chain

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