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Rate of Radioactive Decay definitions Flashcards

Rate of Radioactive Decay definitions
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  • Radioactive decay
    A process following a first-order rate law, characterized by a decrease in radioactive nuclei over time.
  • First-order rate law
    A kinetic model where the rate of reaction is directly proportional to the concentration of one reactant.
  • Decay constant
    A proportionality factor in the radioactive decay equation, indicating the rate of decay over time.
  • Natural log
    The logarithm to the base e, used in the integrated rate law to express concentration changes.
  • Integrated rate law
    An equation relating the concentration of reactants to time, used to describe radioactive decay.
  • Concentration
    The amount of a substance in a given volume, which in radioactive decay can refer to disintegrations per second.
  • Slope
    In the context of decay, it represents the negative decay constant in a plot of ln(N) versus time.
  • Time
    A variable in the decay equation, representing the duration over which decay is measured.
  • Disintegrations per second
    A unit of measure for radioactive decay, indicating the number of nuclei decaying each second.
  • Straight line equation
    A mathematical representation, y=mx+b, used to describe the linear relationship in decay plots.
  • Graph
    A visual representation of data, such as ln(N) versus time, showing the decay process.
  • Y-axis
    The vertical axis in a graph, representing ln(N) in the context of radioactive decay.
  • X-axis
    The horizontal axis in a graph, representing time in the context of radioactive decay.
  • Initial concentration
    The starting amount of radioactive nuclei before decay begins, denoted as N0.
  • Final concentration
    The remaining amount of radioactive nuclei after a period of decay, denoted as N.