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decay constant

American  

noun

Physics.
  1. the reciprocal of the decay time.


Etymology

Origin of decay constant

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Exponential growth has a positive rate of growth or growth constant, k , and exponential decay has a negative rate of growth or decay constant, k.

From Textbooks • May 6, 2020

First we must find the decay constant k.

From Textbooks • May 6, 2020

What is the decay constant for the radioactive disintegration of cobalt-60?

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

It is possible to express the decay constant in terms of the half-life, t1/2:

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

To begin with, it was discovered that one of the basic components of Libby’s formula, known as the decay constant, was off by about 3 percent.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson