Half-Life & Radioactive Decay

Every half-life, half of what remains decays — so the count follows N = N0(½)t/t½. Press play and watch the curve and the sample halve, then halve again. Doubling the half-life flattens the curve; the fraction remaining is the same whatever N0 you start with.

Atoms remaining  N = N0(½)^(t/t½)
1000
100% remaining · 0.0 half-lives elapsed
Decay constant λ
0.0693 s-1
Activity A = λN
69.3 Bq
Half-life t½10 s
Initial atoms N01000
λ = ln 2 / t½ · mean lifetime τ = 1/λ · activity in Bq (decays per second) · times in seconds