hajoamiskäyrän

Hajoamiskäyrä refers to a graphical representation illustrating the decay or degradation of a substance or phenomenon over time. In physics and chemistry, it commonly depicts radioactive decay, where the amount of a radioactive isotope decreases exponentially. The curve typically starts at a high initial quantity and gradually descends towards zero. The rate of decay is characterized by the half-life, the time it takes for half of the substance to decay.

Beyond nuclear physics, the term can also be applied to other processes involving decline. For example, in materials science, a hajoamiskäyrä might show how the strength or integrity of a material degrades due to factors like corrosion, fatigue, or exposure to environmental conditions. In economics, it could represent the decline in value of an asset over time. In epidemiology, it might illustrate the decrease in the number of infected individuals in a population after a peak.

The shape of the hajoamiskäyrä depends on the specific decay process. Exponential decay is common for first-order processes, but other mathematical functions can describe more complex degradation patterns. The x-axis typically represents time, while the y-axis denotes the quantity of the substance, concentration, intensity, or any other measurable property undergoing decay. Understanding the hajoamiskäyrä is crucial for predicting the remaining lifespan of materials, estimating the time until a radioactive source becomes safe, or analyzing the trend of various decaying phenomena.