radioactivity: Half-Life of an Element

The rate of disintegration of a radioactive substance is commonly designated by its half-life, which is the time required for one half of a given quantity of the substance to decay. Depending on the element, a half-life can be as short as a fraction of a second or as long as several billion years.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Discovery of Radioactivity
• Radioactive Disintegration Series
• Half-Life of an Element
• Radioactive Decay
• Gamma Radiation
• Beta Radiation
• Alpha Radiation
• Radioactive Emissions
• Bibliography

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