radioactive decay
a radioactive process in which a nucleus undergoes spontaneous transformation into one or more different nuclei and simultaneously emits radiation, loses electrons, or undergoes fission.
Origin of radioactive decay
1- Also called dis·in·te·gra·tion [dis-in-tuh-grey-shuhn] /dɪsˌɪn təˈgreɪ ʃən/ .
Words Nearby radioactive decay
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use radioactive decay in a sentence
The neutronfest is interspersed with radioactive decays that form new elements.
A new particle accelerator aims to unlock secrets of bizarre atomic nuclei | Emily Conover | November 15, 2021 | Science NewsThis mineral contains tiny amounts of uranium, which very slowly turns into lead via radioactive decay.
The First Continents Bobbed to the Surface More Than Three Billion Years Ago, Study Shows | Priyadarshi Chowdhury | November 10, 2021 | Singularity HubThe team determined that the rocks formed from lava flows 2 billion years ago, but chemical analysis did not yield the concentration of radioactive elements one would expect if radioactive decay were to explain the volcanism.
China’s lunar rock samples show lava flowed on the moon 2 billion years ago | Freda Kreier | October 7, 2021 | Science NewsBecause radioactive decay occurs in the nucleus of the atom, half-life doesn’t change with environmental conditions, from the hellish heat and crushing pressures deep inside Earth to the frigid realm of the far solar system.
Radiometric dating puts pieces of the past in context. Here’s how | Sid Perkins | October 5, 2021 | Science NewsThe second type, especially helium, forms as a byproduct of radioactive decay, processes that are still happening.
Diamonds contain remnants of Earth’s ancient atmosphere | Monroe Hammond | July 20, 2021 | Popular-Science
The muon is unstable, eventually undergoing a radioactive decay into an electron.
LRL Accelerators | Lawrence Radiation Laboratory
British Dictionary definitions for radioactive decay
disintegration of a nucleus that occurs spontaneously or as a result of electron capture. One or more different nuclei are formed and usually particles and gamma rays are emitted: Sometimes shortened to: decay Also called: disintegration
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for radioactive decay
[ rā′dē-ō-ăk′tĭv ]
The spontaneous transformation of an unstable atomic nucleus into a lighter one, in which radiation is released in the form of alpha particles, beta particles, gamma rays, and other particles. The rate of decay of radioactive substances such as carbon 14 or uranium is measured in terms of their half-life. See also decay radioisotope.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse