What is radioactive half-life? If a sample of radioactive material has a half-life of one week, how much of the original sample is left at the end of the second week? Third week? Fourth week?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Radioactive half-life is the time it takes for half of a radioactive material to undergo decay. If a sample has a half-life of one week, then half remains after one week, half of that, or [1/4] remains after a second week, [1/8] remains after the third week, and [1/16] remains after the fourth week. The part that decays is then a different element.