13
RCMultiple Choice

Rocks and the Rock Cycle — Cumulative exam

Question 13 • WCA 4130 Earth and Space Science 1st Quarter 26-27

Which statement accurately describes a half-life?

Answer
A
A rock’s size is determined by half-life.
A
All stable and unstable elements have a half-life.
A
An atom of an element becomes half its original size in a half-life.
A
A half-life is the time required for half of a radioactive element to decay.

Explanation

A half-life is the amount of time it takes for half the radioactive atoms in a sample to decay. It does not describe a change in an atom’s size, and stable elements do not undergo radioactive decay. Therefore, the accurate statement is “A half-life is the time required for half of a radioactive element to decay.”

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.

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