AQA GCSE Physics · 8463
Specification 4.4.2.1, 4.4.2.3, 4.4.3.2 · Paper 1
The rate at which unstable nuclei decay in a radioactive source.
Revise: Radioactive decay and nuclear radiationActivity describes what is happening inside the source. Count-rate is different: it is the number of events recorded each second by a detector, such as a Geiger–Müller tube. The recorded count-rate need not equal the activity.
- Revise: Half-lives and the random nature of radioactive decay
The rate at which unstable nuclei in a radioactive source decay, measured in becquerels (Bq).
- Revise: Different half-lives of radioactive isotopes
The number of radioactive decays occurring per second in a sample, measured in becquerels (Bq). One becquerel means one decay per second.