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Understanding Half-Life and Decay

This document explains the concept of half-life, which is the time required for half of the radioactive nuclei in a sample to decay. It includes applications of half-life in fields like carbon dating and medical uses, as well as a formula for calculating remaining amounts over time. The document also provides practice problems and encourages further exploration of half-life in real-world contexts.

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ASEEL ALNAHEEL
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57 views12 pages

Understanding Half-Life and Decay

This document explains the concept of half-life, which is the time required for half of the radioactive nuclei in a sample to decay. It includes applications of half-life in fields like carbon dating and medical uses, as well as a formula for calculating remaining amounts over time. The document also provides practice problems and encourages further exploration of half-life in real-world contexts.

Uploaded by

ASEEL ALNAHEEL
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Half-Life

Understanding Radioactive Decay


Lesson Objectives
• - Define half-life.
• - Understand how radioactive substances
decay over time.
• - Use the half-life formula to solve basic
problems.
• - Analyze decay patterns using graphs.
Think About It
• What happens to radioactive substances over
time?
• How long would it take for a radioactive
material to become safe?
What is Half-Life?
• The time required for half of the radioactive
nuclei in a sample to decay.
• Symbol: t½
• After 1 half-life: 50% remains
• After 2 half-lives: 25% remains
• After 3 half-lives: 12.5% remains
Visual Example
• Start with 800 atoms.
• After each half-life:
• 800 → 400 → 200 → 100
Real-Life Applications
• - Carbon dating (C-14)
• - Medical uses (e.g., radioactive tracers)
• - Nuclear power and waste management
Half-Life Formula
• Remaining Amount = Initial Amount ×
(1/2)^(time / half-life)
• Example: Start = 800 atoms, half-life = 10
minutes.
• After 30 minutes → 800 → 400 → 200 → 100
atoms
Practice Problems
• 1. A substance has a half-life of 5 years. How
much of 100g remains after 15 years?
• 2. A sample contains 25g after two half-lives.
What was the original amount?
Summary
• - Half-life is predictable and exponential.
• - Each half-life reduces the substance by 50%.
• - Used in many scientific and real-world
applications.
Exit Question
• If a sample has gone through 4 half-lives, what
percentage remains?
• Answer: 6.25%
Homework / Extension
• - Find an example of how half-life is used in
archaeology or medicine.
• - Challenge: Graph a decay curve of a 100g
substance over 5 half-lives.
Great job today! Stay curious :)

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