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42 votes
Which statements best describe half-lives of radioactive isotopes? Check all that apply.

The half-life varies depending on the isotope.
The half-life is the same for every isotope.
Half-lives are always only minutes long.
Half-lives range from fractions of a second to billions of years.
The half-life of a particular isotope is constant.
The half-life of a particular isotope changes constantly.

A,D,E

User Alexey Ogarkov
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2 Answers

25 votes
25 votes

Final answer:

Half-lives of radioactive isotopes vary depending on the isotope, range from fractions of a second to billions of years, and are constant for a given isotope.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statements that best describe half-lives of radioactive isotopes are:

The half-life varies depending on the isotope.

Half-lives range from fractions of a second to billions of years.

The half-life of a particular isotope is constant.

Thus, the correct answers are A, D, and E. The half-life is indeed different for each radioactive isotope and can vary vastly, ranging from extremely brief periods like fractions of a second, to incredibly long spans, such as billions of years. Additionally, the half-life of a specific isotope does not change over time; it is a characteristic constant, unaffected by external conditions like temperature and pressure.

User Jim Lewis
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3.3k points
28 votes
28 votes

Answer:

A

Step-by-step explanation:

half life is the time taken for a radioactive isotopes to dissociate

User Kenjiro
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