> Shouldn't we be able to determine the age of the spill using the cesium half l... | Hacker News

Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit

lostlogin on July 1, 2023 | parent | context | favorite | on: Radioactive spill near Richland WA worse than expe...

> Shouldn't we be able to determine the age of the spill using the cesium half life?

How? If you don’t know the size of the original spill can you work it out from whatever it decays to?

jenadine on July 1, 2023 [–]

Not a physicist, so you'll correct me if I'm wrong. The Cesium decay into something. So we could measure the concentration of the resulting atom compared to those of Cesium.

Consider applying for YC's Winter 2027 batch! Applications are open till November 2.
Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact