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This block began on 15:12, 27 August 2023 and has been set to finish on: <b>15:12, 27 August 2028</b>.</td></tr> </tbody></table> <div style="text-align: center;"><big> </big><p><big><b>You are not blocked from reading pages, only from changing or creating them.</b></big><br /> If you have just clicked a <span style="color:#BA0000; text-decoration:underline;">red link</span>, you were blocked from creating a new page as no article on that topic is there yet. </p> </div> If you think you were not blocked fairly, you may make unblock requests or file appeals at <a href="https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Steward_requests/Global" class="extiw" title="meta:Steward requests/Global">meta:Steward requests/Global</a>.</div></div><hr /> <p>You can view and copy the source of this page. </p><textarea readonly="" accesskey="," id="wpTextbox1" cols="80" rows="25" style="" class="mw-editfont-monospace" lang="en" dir="ltr" name="wpTextbox1">{{complex|date=June 2024}} When an unstable [[atomic nucleus]] undergoes [[radioactive]] [[decay]], it makes a '''decay product'''. This product is the remaining [[nuclide]] left over after the decay process. Decay often occurs in a order called a decay chain, where one nuclide changes into another through a series of steps.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Radioactive Half-Life|url=http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Nuclear/halfli2.html|access-date=2024-06-14|website=hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu}}</ref> For example, [[uranium]]-238 decays to [[thorium]]-234, which further decays to [[protactinium]]-234m, and so on, until it reaches a stable [[isotope]] like lead-206. These decay products are crucial for understanding radioactivity and managing radioactive waste. == Nuclear Decay Probability == Radioactive decay is a process which depends upon the instability of the particular [[radioisotope]], but which for any given nucleus in a sample is completely unpredictable. The decay process and the observed half-life dependence of radioactivity can be assumed by assuming that single nuclear decays are purely random events.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Watson|first=Elaine|date=2024-06-11|title=Ripelocker strikes deal with global berry producer Agrovision to roll out shelf-life extension tech|url=https://agfundernews.com/ripelocker-strikes-deal-with-global-berry-producer-agrovision-to-roll-out-shelf-life-extension-tech|access-date=2024-06-14|website=AgFunderNews|language=en-US}}</ref> == Developing the Decay Expression == Although radioactive decay involves specific events of nuclear disintegration, the number of events is so large that it can be treated like a continuum and the methods of calculus employed to predict the behavior. This can be integrated directly to give ln N = -λt + C where C is a constant of [[integration]]. == Radioactive Decay Constant == The rate of radioactive decay is typically shown in terms of either the radioactive half-life, or the radioactive decay constant. The decay constant is also sometimes called the disintegration constant. The half-life and the [[decay]] constant give the same information, so may be used to [[Characterization|characterize]] decay. Another useful concept in radioactive decay is the average lifetime. The average lifetime is the reciprocal of the decay constant as defined here. For example, free [[Neutron|neutrons]] decay with a halflife of about 10.3 minutes. This corresponds to a decay constant of .067/min and an average lifetime of 14.8 minutes or 890 seconds.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ingredient suppliers highlight the latest sweeteners {{!}} Dairy Foods|url=https://www.dairyfoods.com/articles/97377-ingredient-suppliers-highlight-the-latest-sweeteners|access-date=2024-06-14|website=www.dairyfoods.com|language=en}}</ref> == Radioactive Decay by Multiple Pathways == Often a radioactive nucleus will decay by two or more pathways, yielding different final products. If there are two modes, leading to products a and b, then we can represent the decay rates by these two modes by partial decay constants λ<sub>a</sub> and λ<sub>b.</sub>Note that the individual decay constants λa and λb never appear in the exponential. Both processes continue to proceed and the rate of decay is determined by the sum of their decay constants. This process can be extended to more pathways if all proceed from the same parent nucleus. If you sought to use the measured population of the [[Isotope|isotopes]] to date a sample, you would not have access to the value N0 of the parent isotope and would need to recast the above expressions in terms of the current measured value N of the parent. This is the approach taken in potassium-argon dating where there are decay modes to both argon and calcium.<ref>{{Cite web|last=foodnavigator.com|date=2024-06-11|title=Is zero-calorie sweetener xylitol bad for the heart?|url=https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2024/06/11/is-sweetener-xylitol-bad-for-the-heart|access-date=2024-06-14|website=foodnavigator.com|language=en-GB}}</ref> == References == <references /> [[Category:Nuclear physics]] [[Category:Nuclear energy]] </textarea><div class="templatesUsed"><div class="mw-templatesUsedExplanation"><p>Templates used on this page: </p></div><ul> <li><a href="/wiki/Template:Ambox" title="Template:Ambox">Template:Ambox</a> (<a href="/w/index.php?title=Template:Ambox&action=edit" title="Template:Ambox">view source</a>) (semi-protected)</li><li><a href="/wiki/Template:Cite_web" title="Template:Cite web">Template:Cite web</a> (<a href="/w/index.php?title=Template:Cite_web&action=edit" title="Template:Cite web">view source</a>) 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