Which is the BEST definition of Half-Life?

a
The half-life of a substance or element is the amount of matter it takes for all of the quantity of that substance or element to decay or transform into another substance.
b
The half-life of a substance or element is the amount of energy it takes for all of the initial quantity of that substance or element to decay or transform into another substance.
c
The half-life of a substance or element is the amount of time it takes for half of the initial quantity of that substance or element to decay or transform into another substance.

11 answers

The BEST definition of Half-Life is:

c - The half-life of a substance or element is the amount of time it takes for half of the initial quantity of that substance or element to decay or transform into another substance.

What made the specific candy a good example?

a
The candy is an atom and will decay after they are shaken.
b
The candy is easy to clean up after the lab.
c
The candy has two sides to represent parent and daughter atoms after the decay simulation.

The correct answer is:

c - The candy has two sides to represent parent and daughter atoms after the decay simulation.

This helps illustrate the concept of radioactive decay and the transformation of one substance into another.

Why were candies used for this lab? (Replace the word “candy” with whatever you chose to use)

a
Candy is easy to clean up and students will enjoy eating them at the end of the lab.
b
Candy is the same size as an atom and makes half-life easy to visualize.
c
Candy simulates how atoms radioactively decay and how rocks of different ages have varied amounts of radioactive and decayed elements.

The correct answer is:

c - Candy simulates how atoms radioactively decay and how rocks of different ages have varied amounts of radioactive and decayed elements.

This provides a tangible way for students to understand the concept of half-life and the process of radioactive decay.

How much of a radioactive element becomes stable in ONE half-life?

a
All of the original amount of atoms
b
Half of the original amount of atoms
c
None of the atoms will become stable

The correct answer is:

b - Half of the original amount of atoms.

In one half-life, half of the radioactive atoms in a sample will decay into stable or different elements.

What is the half-life of Candium? (i.e., What number of shakes are necessary to reduce the radioactive members to one-half?)

a
713 million (7.13 seconds of shakes)
b
6 million (6 seconds of shakes)
c
813 million years (8.13 seconds or shakes)

The correct answer is:

c - 813 million years (8.13 seconds or shakes).

This aligns with the concept of half-life, representing the time it takes for half of the radioactive atoms to decay.

If you started with 100 M&M's the half-life would change because half-life is not constant and changes based on the amount of the parent atoms.

True
False

False.

The half-life of a radioactive substance is a constant characteristic of that substance and does not change based on the amount of the parent atoms. It remains the same regardless of the initial quantity. Half-life refers to the time required for half of the original quantity to decay, and this duration is a fixed property of the isotope in question.