Half-Life Formula
t½ = ln2 / λ
What it means
The half-life is the time for half of a radioactive sample to decay, related to the decay constant.
Variables
| Symbol | Quantity | SI unit |
|---|---|---|
t½ | half-life | s |
λ | decay constant | 1/s |
Worked example
Given λ = 0.05 1/s, solve for t½:
t½ = 13.8629 s