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Contents of 7.8 How do we know ... how to determine half-lives and decay rates?

7.8 How do we know ... how to determine half-lives and decay rates?

• Radioactive decay rates are measured in the lab by detecting the energy of each decay event. Decay rates are expressed as the number of decay events per unit time.
• Decay rates measured in different labs are within the uncertainty of measurement. International committees determine the universally accepted decay rates based on the most reliable and up-to-date lab values.
• Lab experiments indicate decay rates are unaffected by differences in temperature, pressure, gravity, or magnetic fields. No evidence precludes use of decay rates to date minerals of all types and ages.