What is the term for the breakdown of unstable isotopes into stable elements?
secondary decay
isotopic decay
radioactive decrease
radioactive decay
Radioactive decay is the breakdown of unstable isotopes into stable elements. For example, carbon-14 is an unstable isotope of carbon that decays to the stable element nitrogen-14. The rate of decay of an isotope is measured in half-lives. A half-life is the time it takes for half a given amount of an isotope to decay.