Question

How do you calculate the theoretical decay constants for your isotopes?

Answer 1

Decay constant is the proportionality between the size of a population of radioactive atoms and the rate at which the population decreases because of radioactive decay.
Let N is the size of a population of radioactive atoms at a given time t, and dN is the amount by which the population decreases in time dt;
then the rate of change is given by the equation dN/dt = −λN,
where λ is the decay constant. Integration of this equation yields
N = N0e-λt

where N0 is the size of an initial population of radioactive atoms at time t = 0

So, from the above equation we can simply calculate the decay constant.