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oblong-pea
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- TL;DR Summary
- Just wondering if my understanding of half life's and radioactivity is correct.
As I understand, half life's are where unstable nuclear isotopes Undergo radioactive decay, where they emmit either aplha beta or gamma during this decay.
I'm looking for some clarification on whether when an atom undergoes decay, does it then change into another element/ isotope of an element, and then that has another half life where it is repeated until stable?
For example say cesium 137 has a half life of 7 years. Will this cesium 137 then decay in 7 years to another element/isotope or multiple elements and the original cesium will dissappear?
Additionally, during the 7 years of this cesium existing, how is it giving off ionising radiation if its not decaying?
Thanks
I'm looking for some clarification on whether when an atom undergoes decay, does it then change into another element/ isotope of an element, and then that has another half life where it is repeated until stable?
For example say cesium 137 has a half life of 7 years. Will this cesium 137 then decay in 7 years to another element/isotope or multiple elements and the original cesium will dissappear?
Additionally, during the 7 years of this cesium existing, how is it giving off ionising radiation if its not decaying?
Thanks