How much of a radioactive element becomes stable in ONE half-life?
a. Half of the original amount of atoms
b. None of the atoms will become stable
с.All of the original amount of atoms
a. Half of the original amount of atoms
The correct answer is a. Half of the original amount of atoms. In one half-life, radioactive decay causes half of the radioactive atoms to decay and become stable. This means that only half of the original amount of atoms will remain.
The correct answer is option a) Half of the original amount of atoms.
To understand why, we need to first understand what a half-life is. The half-life of a radioactive element is the time it takes for half of the radioactive atoms in a sample to decay and become stable.
Let's say we start with a certain number of radioactive atoms. After one half-life, half of the atoms will have decayed and become stable, while the other half will still be radioactive. So, only half of the original amount of atoms becomes stable in one half-life.
For example, if we start with 100 radioactive atoms, after one half-life, 50 of those atoms will have decayed and become stable, leaving 50 radioactive atoms remaining. After another half-life, another half of the remaining 50 atoms will decay, leaving 25 radioactive atoms. This process continues as each half-life passes, resulting in a continuous reduction in the number of radioactive atoms.
Therefore, in one half-life, half of the original amount of atoms becomes stable, and this pattern of decay continues with subsequent half-lives.