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Half-life and Randomness
Physics · Year 10 · Atomic Structure · Summer Term

Half-life and Randomness

Understand that radioactive decay is a random process and learn how to define and calculate the half-life of a radioactive isotope.

National Curriculum Attainment TargetsKS4 National Curriculum for Science (Physics): Atomic structure - Radioactive decay and half-life

About This Topic

Understand that radioactive decay is a random process and learn how to define and calculate the half-life of a radioactive isotope.

Key Questions

  1. Explain the concept of half-life and why it is used to measure the activity of a radioactive source.
  2. Analyse decay curves to determine the half-life of a radioactive isotope.
  3. Justify why it is not possible to predict which specific nucleus will decay next in a sample.

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Edited by Adriana Perusin, Editor-in-Chief, Flip Education