![](/template/termwiki/images/likesmall.jpg)
Home > Terms > English, UK (UE) > Radioactive decay
Radioactive decay
The spontaneous transformation of one radioisotope into one or more different isotopes (known as "decay products" or "daughter products"), accompanied by a decrease in radioactivity (compared to the parent material). This transformation takes place over a defined period of time (known as a "half-life"), as a result of electron capture; fission; or the emission of alpha particles, beta particles, or photons (gamma radiation or x-rays) from the nucleus of an unstable atom. Each isotope in the sequence (known as a "decay chain") decays to the next until it forms a stable, less energetic end product. In addition, radioactive decay may refer to gamma-ray and conversion electron emission, which only reduces the excitation energy of the nucleus.
- Part of Speech: noun
- Synonym(s):
- Blossary:
- Industry/Domain: Energy
- Category: Nuclear energy
- Company: U.S. NRC
- Product:
- Acronym-Abbreviation:
Other Languages:
Member comments
Terms in the News
Featured Terms
rio de janeiro
Rio de Janeiro is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro and the second largest city in Brazil. "Rio"; which the city is commonly ...
Contributor
Featured blossaries
Browers Terms By Category
- Meteorology(9063)
- General weather(899)
- Atmospheric chemistry(558)
- Wind(46)
- Clouds(40)
- Storms(37)
Weather(10671) Terms
- General astronomy(781)
- Astronaut(371)
- Planetary science(355)
- Moon(121)
- Comets(101)
- Mars(69)
Astronomy(1901) Terms
- Physical geography(2496)
- Geography(671)
- Cities & towns(554)
- Countries & Territories(515)
- Capitals(283)
- Human geography(103)
Geography(4630) Terms
- Architecture(556)
- Interior design(194)
- Graphic design(194)
- Landscape design(94)
- Industrial design(20)
- Application design(17)
Design(1075) Terms
- General Finance(7677)
- Funds(1299)
- Commodity exchange(874)
- Private equity(515)
- Accountancy(421)
- Real estate investment(192)