How is the half-life of a radioactive parent isotope defined?
A) the time it takes for half of the parent isotope to decay
B) half the time it takes for the amount of parent isotope to reach zero
C) the time it takes the parent isotope to go through half the decay steps necessary to produce a stable daughter isotope
D) half of the average rate of decay of the parent isotope

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The half-life of a radioactive parent isotope is defined as the time it takes for half of the parent isotope to decay. This means that after one half-life, half of the original parent isotope will have decayed into a daughter isotope.

How Is the Half-Life of a Radioactive Parent Isotope Defined