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  1. Radioactivity | Definition, Types, Applications, & Facts | Britannica

    Dec 6, 2025 · The rate at which a radioactive element decays is expressed in terms of its half-life; i.e., the time required for one-half of any given quantity of the isotope to decay.

  2. Radioactive Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary

    RADIOACTIVE meaning: having or producing a powerful and dangerous form of energy (called radiation)

  3. radioactivity - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help

    In 1899 Ernest Rutherford found that the radioactive element uranium gave off two different kinds of rays. Scientists now know that there are three types of radiation—alpha, beta, and gamma.

  4. Radioactive isotope | Description, Uses, & Examples | Britannica

    Radioactive isotope, any of the species of the same chemical element that have different masses and unstable nuclei that emit radiation.

  5. Radioactivity - Decay Rates, Half-Lives, Transitions | Britannica

    Dec 6, 2025 · Radioactive decay occurs as a statistical exponential rate process. That is to say, the number of atoms likely to decay in a given infinitesimal time interval (dN/dt) is proportional …

  6. Radiation | Definition, Types, Effects, & Facts | Britannica

    Dec 19, 2025 · One example of this kind of radiation is the electron, first established as a negatively charged particle in 1897 by the English physicist Joseph John Thomson and later …

  7. What is a radioactive isotope? | Britannica

    A radioactive isotope, also known as a radioisotope, radionuclide, or radioactive nuclide, is any of several species of the same chemical element with different masses whose nuclei are …

  8. Half-life | Definition & Facts | Britannica

    Dec 3, 2025 · The rate at which a radioactive element decays is expressed in terms of its half-life; i.e., the time required for one-half of any given quantity of the isotope to decay.

  9. Dating - Isotopic, Geochronology, Principles | Britannica

    Dec 3, 2025 · In short, the process of radioactive decay is immutable under all known conditions. Although it is impossible to predict when a particular atom will change, given a sufficient …

  10. uranium - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help

    Introduction Uranium is a chemical element that is used to create nuclear power and nuclear weapons. It is radioactive, meaning that it gives off energy in the form of tiny particles. …