How much of a radioactive element becomes stable in ONE half-life?
a
All of the original amount of atoms
b
None of the atoms will become stable
c
Half of the original amount of atoms
c) Half of the original amount of atoms
c) Half of the original amount of atoms.
c) Half of the original amount of atoms
To determine how much of a radioactive element becomes stable in one half-life, we need to understand what a half-life is. The half-life of a radioactive element is the amount of time it takes for half of the radioactive atoms to decay and become stable.
For example, if we start with 100 atoms of a radioactive element, after one half-life, 50 atoms will have decayed and become stable, leaving us with 50 radioactive atoms.
Therefore, in one half-life, half of the original amount of atoms become stable, which is option c) Half of the original amount of atoms.