Question

What is half-life? Why would we be interested in the half-lives of the radioactive isotopes we commonly use? please use more than 150 words.

Answer 1

Half-life is the time period in which a radioactive substance becomes half of its initial quantity. For example if we have 10g of a radioactive substances and it reduces to 5g in 10 minutes. Then the half-life of the substance is 10 minute. We need half-life of a radioactive substnce for so many reasons. Primarily it is almost impossiple to determine the time in which all the substance has integrated. For example in above case 5g will become 2.5 in next 10 minutes and 2.5 will become 1.25 in next 10 minutes. This will go on and on. Half-life gives us the rate of radioactivity of a substance. Less the half-life greater is the rate of radioactivity. It is also used in carbon dating.