The half life of Radium is 1590 years. In how many years will the Earth lose all its radium due to radioactive decay?
Correct answer: D. Never
- A. 1590 x 10⁶ years
- B. 1590 x 10^25 years
- C. 1590 x 10¹² years
- D. Never
Explanation
Radioactive decay is an exponential process. In each half-life, only half of the remaining nuclei decay. Theoretically, the number of radioactive atoms will approach zero but never reach it, so it would take an infinite amount of time for all the radium to decay.
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Atomic nuclei contain protons and neutrons, with nuclear size, mass defect and binding energy describing their stability. The work covers alpha, beta and gamma decay, decay equations, half-life and decay rate, along with radiation safety and medical applications such as imaging, radiotherapy and tracers.
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