What is meant by the decay constant?

The decay constant is the fraction of the number of atoms that decay in 1 second. It is the constant ? in the decay equation: dN/dt = -?N The - sign indicates decay, dN/dt is the number of decays per second (also known as 'Activity') and N is the number of atoms present.Mar 27, 2012 read more

Decay constant: Decay constant, proportionality between the size of a population of radioactive atoms and the rate at which the population decreases because of radioactive decay. read more

Decay constant definition, the reciprocal of the decay time. See more. read more