of a radionuclide
symbol: $\tau$
symbol: $\tau$
synonyms: average life, average life of a radionuclide, lifetime, lifetime of a radionuclide
https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.08734
Reciprocal of the decay constant of a radionuclide (\(\lambda\)). \(\tau = 1/\lambda\).
Note: The mean life is greater than the half life of a radionuclide by the factor \(1/\ln 2 (\approx 1.44)\); the difference arises because of the weight given in the averaging process to the fraction of atoms that by chance survives for a long time.