☢️ 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.