Radioactive Decay Simplified

A simple quantitative example to illustrate the behavior of radioactive decay. This illustrates the general principle used by professional scientists to determine the ages of everything from remains at an acheological dig to the Earth itself.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• radioactive
• age
• dating
• decay
• Earth
• Solar
• System
• Rocks
• meteorites
• science
• explanation

[sandslash123]

What's the difference between 2 half-lifes and 3 to 1 ratio?

[Astrosteed]

@sandslash123 After two half lives, then only 25% of the original radioactive material will remain. This means 75% has been converted into the stable byproduct. When 75% is comapred to 25%, it is a 3 to 1 ratio.

[wiseyeffect]

Experiments have shown that radioactive decay changes with the solar cycles. It seems that neutrino released from the Sun speeds up radioactive decay on Earth. This changes a lot within the known physics.

[Astrosteed]

@wiseyeffect I've looked into this claim a bit, and it does seem like one team of researchers has come up with this result, but by combining small sets of data across decades of time from different sources using different detectors. It is unclear at this point if the small discrepancy is actually due to a major change to our understanding of neutrino physics rather than callibration errors used in order to cross compare the data they used. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

[wiseyeffect]

@Astrosteed the same should be said about man made globalwarming.

[Astrosteed]

@wiseyeffect ?? Huh ?? Global Warming is a non-sequitur here. Your claim that this "changes a lot within the known physics" reveals a misunderstanding of the scientific method. One group getting one marginal result does not mean we should start re-writing textbooks. They haven't even made a prediction that was experimentally verified. A direct test must be done before anyone would seriously consider changing the known physics.

[kipling1957]

What is not clear here about radiometric dating (excluding C14 dating), is how we know what the isotope ratio was (the initial state) when the rock was formed, in order to zero our clock. This would seem to be a crucial piece of information in making our age calculation. Presumably we cannot simply assume we can extrapolate backwards to 100% uranium (for example). Or can we? And if so, why? What is the empirical evidence for starting conditions?

[crazy77iii]

The BOTTOM LINE Here is that ALL Dating is Based off of Radioactive Decay. And the Moment at which the emission of the beta particle is Released IS in FACT COMPLETELY STOCHASTIC!!!!! One CANNOT take something that is Completely Random and Get and Average from it!!!!! Why don't people understand that??? If you listen to the young man in this video he says that he can "Expect" the RD to happen in 10 minutes? THAT is COMPELTE Conjecture!!!!

[SentientRaven]

Funny how it (apparently) makes it simpler to replace nuclei with pop corn kernels. ;)

I submit that the analogy would work just as well if you didn't have them self-popping, but in a jar in a microwave oven. Then when asked what makes the nuclei pop, one starts the classic particle physics speech; "Well... first, reality is insane..."

[MissyNatdance]

Very well explained !

Better than my teacher ! haha , thank you i really understand half life now . :D

[garcialovesme]

Very well explained using a familiar analogy! I really enjoyed that!

[Anticitizen54]

We were required to watch this video in my math class xD

[rishabhtwr07]

GOOD USEFUL VIDEO.......///

[wiseyeffect]

@Astrosteed I'm not saying we should rewrite anything but if it can be proven it would change many things. I brough globalwarming into the picture because it is happening but the reasons given are BS. I have congress&nasa documents that state what's really going on. There is another body of evidance I'm sure your not accounting for that supports the neutrino theory,and globalwarming.