KINETICS OF RADIOACTIVE DECAY Chemical and nuclear systems both tend toward maximum stability Radioactive nuclei decay at a characteristic rate as they move toward stability Decay rate (or activity) of a radioactive sample = change in number of ______ divided by the change in time Rate = (ΔN/ Δt)=kt **k=constant t=time Used to find decay rate from nuclear decay measurements Used to find activity remaining at time t.
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