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Biology Ch 14.2
Ch.14 vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Radiometric dating | a method of determining the absolute age of an object by comparing the relative percentages of a radioactive (parent) isotope and a stable (daughter) isotope |
| Isotope | an atom that has the same number of protons (or the same atomic number) as other atoms of the same element do but that has a different number of neutrons (and thus a different atomic mass) |
| Mass number | the sum of the numbers of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom |
| Radioactive decay | the disintegration of an unstable atomic nucleus into one or more different nuclides, accompanied by the emission of radiation, the nuclear capture or ejection of electrons, or fission |
| Radioactive isotope | an isotope that has an unstable nucleus and that emits radiation |
| Half-life | the time required for half of a sample of a radioactive isotope to break down by radioactive decay to form a daughter isotope |
| Microsphere | a microscopic spherical structure composed of many protein |
| Coacervate | a mass of droplets of colloidal substances, such as lipids, amino acids, and sugars, that are held together by electrostatic attraction |