Fission Fusion Nuclear Physics Quantum Mechanics Radioactivity Radioactivity is when an atomic nucleus breaks down into smaller particles. Alpha particles are positively charged, Beta particles are negatively charged and Gamma particles have no charge. They also have increasing levels of energy, first Alpha, then Beta and finally Gamma which is the fastest and most energetic of all the emission particles. This describes the amount of time it takes for the amount of radioactivity to go down by one half.
Every element has it's own unique half-life.
It has a half-life of 5730 years. This process is not when two Carbon atoms go out to the mall one night. Carbon dating is when scientists try to measure the age of very old substances. There are very small amounts of C-14 in the atmosphere. Every living thing has some C-14 in their body.