As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Half life Definition and Explanation PDF | Download eBooks

Learn Half life definition in biology with explanation to study “What is Half life”. Study half life explanation with biology terms to review biology course for online degree programs.

Half life Definitions:

  1. Half life is described as the time it takes for 50% of the parent isotope to decay.

    Campbell Biology by J.B. Reece, L.A. Urry, M.L. Cain, S.A. Wasserman, P.V. Minorsky, R.B. Jackson



  2. Rate of decay is expressed by the half-life, the time required for 50% of the parent isotope to decay.

    Campbell Biology by J.B. Reece, L.A. Urry, M.L. Cain, S.A. Wasserman, P.V. Minorsky, R.B. Jackson



Half life Explanation:

It is the time taken for any element to decay to at least half of it quantity. The term is commonly used in nuclear physics to describe how quickly unstable atoms undergo, or how long stable atoms survive, radioactive decay. The term is also used more generally to characterize any type of exponential or non-exponential decay. For example, the medical sciences refer to the biological half-life of drugs and other chemicals in the human body. The converse of half-life is doubling time. Half life can tell how stable an element is in an environment. Half life varies amongst the elements and can be used to help in dating of elements.

Half life Explanation:

Half-life is the time required for a quantity to reduce to half its initial value. The term is commonly used in nuclear physics to describe how quickly unstable atoms undergo, or how long stable atoms survive, radioactive decay. The term is also used more generally to characterize any type of exponential or non-exponential decay. For example, the medical sciences refer to the biological half-life of drugs and other chemicals in the human body. The converse of half-life is doubling time.

Keep Learning Biology Explanations

What is Pancreas?

The pancreas is an important organ of the digestive system and also an endocrine gland. The pancreas is located in ...

What are Monoclonal antibodies?

Monoclonal antibodies are antibodies that are made by identical immune cells that are all clones of a unique parent cell. ...

What is Endothelium?

Endothelium refers to cells that line the interior surface of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels, forming an interface between circulating ...

What is Polymer?

A polymer is a large macromolecule that is made of several repeating subunits. An example of this would be a ...

What are Bronchioles?

The bronchioles or bronchioli are the passageways by which air passes through the nose or mouth to the alveoli (air ...

What is Hybridization?

When plants of different varieties are bred together, the process is termed is hybridization. This is the opposite of true ...