Isotopes, Radioactivity, and Half Life
IsotopesTwo atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons are called isotopes.
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Radioactive Isotopes & Half LifeMost isotopes are stable, but there are some isotopes that have nuclei that decay spontaneously. These unstable isotopes are called radioactive isotopes. These radioactive isotopes can be used to diagnose medical disorders or date fossils. Half life is the time it takes for a radioactive isotope to lose half of its original value. Using the half life of an element we can carbon date items.
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