Use our free Half-Life Calculator to find the remaining amount of a substance over time. Perfect for school projects, science labs, and chemistry homework.
Results
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Remaining Amount | 0 grams |
| Number of Half-Lives | 0 |
| Percent Remaining | 0% |
Half-Life Calculator: Precise & Easy Decay Tool for Students
Our Half-Life Calculator is a user-friendly, accurate tool designed for students, teachers, and science enthusiasts. Perfect for chemistry homework, physics labs, or school projects, it delivers instant, reliable results with a mobile-responsive design.
Why Use Our Half-Life Calculator?
- Instant Results: Real-time calculations without clicking a button.
- Mobile-Optimized: Works seamlessly on phones, tablets, and desktops.
- Interactive Graph: Visualize decay with a clear, dynamic Chart.js graph.
- Accessible Design: Includes ARIA labels and alt-text for all users.
- Copy Results: Easily copy results to share or save.
How to Use the Calculator
- Enter Initial Amount: Input the starting quantity (grams, default: 100).
- Set Half-Life: Add the half-life duration and select a unit (seconds, minutes, hours, days, years).
- Input Elapsed Time: Specify the time passed and its unit.
- Optional Substance: Select a substance (e.g., Carbon-14) to autofill half-life.
- Choose Precision: Pick 2, 4, or 6 decimal places.
- View Results: See remaining amount, half-lives passed, and percent remaining in a clear table.
- Analyze Graph: Check the decay curve for a visual understanding.
What is Half-Life?
Half-life is the time it takes for half of a radioactive substance to decay. It’s used in fields like archaeology (Carbon-14 dating), medicine (Iodine-131 treatments), and nuclear physics. The formula is:
A = A₀ × (0.5)^(t / T)
- A: Remaining amount
- A₀: Initial amount
- t: Elapsed time
- T: Half-life
Example Problem
Problem: 150 grams of Iodine-131 (half-life: 8.02 days). How much remains after 16 days?
- Steps:
- Half-lives = 16 / 8.02 ≈ 1.995
- Remaining = 150 × (0.5)^1.995 ≈ 37.62 grams
- Percent remaining = (37.62 / 150) × 100 ≈ 25.08%
Input these into the calculator for instant, accurate results.
Applications of Half-Life
- Archaeology: Dating artifacts with Carbon-14 (5730 years).
- Medicine: Calculating safe doses for radiopharmaceuticals like Iodine-131 (8.02 days).
- Nuclear Science: Managing nuclear waste (e.g., Uranium-238, 4.468 billion years).
Tips for Best Results
- Match time units for half-life and elapsed time.
- Use the substance selector for quick, accurate half-life values.
- Adjust precision for detailed calculations.
- Hover over the graph to explore decay trends.
Our Half-Life Calculator ensures precise results, boosting your confidence in science studies. Try our Exponential Decay Calculator for more advanced decay models.
Also check this: Half Birthday Calculator