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Radioactive decay is a random process. Although the rate of decay for a specific radionuclide can be calculated from knowledge of the number of radioactive atoms and the half-life, there is no way of knowing which specific radioactive atom will decay in which time interval.

Is radioactive decay random or predictable?

Bookmark this question. Show activity on this post. Well, we know that it is impossible to say exactly when a radioactive atom will go on decay. It is a random process.

Why is radioactive decay completely random?

The randomness of the nuclear decays is due to this quantum mechanical probabilistic underpinning: A nucleus does not "age" with the passage of time. Thus, the probability of its breaking down does not increase with time, but stays constant no matter how long the nucleus has existed.

Is radioactive decay always spontaneous?

This process changes the atom to a different element or a different isotope. Since radioactive decay is a spontaneous event, you may think that the half-life of the decay process is completely fixed and cannot be altered by outside influences.

Do radioactive substances decay at predictable constant rate?

The rate of decay remains constant throughout the decay process. There are three ways to show the exponential nature of half-life. Equation 11 is a constant, meaning the half-life of radioactive decay is constant.

What is predictable about radioactive decay unpredictable?

What is unpredictable? What is predictable about radioactive decay is how long it will take for the half-life of the mass of the material to decay. What is unpredictable about radioactive decay is that it is random and spontaneous and how long a particular molecule takes to decay. 3.

Does everything eventually decay?

As far as we know, they don't decay at all. That could be wrong, but if it is, then at least they must decay over an extremely long timescale. So as far as we know, it stops at a few stable isotopes of certain elements (atomic number less than or equal to that of lead).

Is anything truly random?

Researchers typically use random numbers supplied by a computer, but these are generated by mathematical formulas – and so by definition cannot be truly random. In the 1970s, scientists discovered that a widely-used formula produced regularities in its 'random' numbers that undermined countless research studies.

Can radioactive decay be prevented?

In principle, yes. If the would-be decay products have a higher energy than the original molecule, the decay cannot occur.

What is meant by spontaneous decay?

Decay is called spontaneous because the occur on their own and are unaffected by external factors like temperature, pressure, and many more. Decay is called random because we cannot determine the rate at which it decays but can only determine the probability of the decay.