How much of a radioactive element becomes stable in ONE half-life?
a
Half of the original amount of atoms
b
None of the atoms will become stable
c
All of the original amount of atoms
a) Half of the original amount of atoms
a) Half of the original amount of atoms
a. Half of the original amount of atoms.
To understand why half of the original amount of atoms become stable in one half-life, we need to understand the concept of radioactivity and half-life.
Radioactive elements have unstable atomic nuclei, and they undergo spontaneous radioactive decay to become more stable. The time it takes for half of the atoms in a sample to decay is called a half-life.
During each half-life, half of the radioactive atoms decay, while the other half remains unchanged. The decay process continues in subsequent half-lives until all the radioactive atoms have decayed and become stable.
Therefore, in one half-life, half of the original amount of radioactive atoms will decay and become stable. This means that option a, "Half of the original amount of atoms," is the correct answer.