衰变

衰變
shuāibiàn
noun #37,715

Meanings

  1. 1 radioactive decay
  2. 2 decay (of a particle or unstable nucleus)

Examples

HSK 7-9
Yóu de shuāibiàn fēicháng huǎnmàn.
The decay of uranium is very slow.
HSK 7-9
Zhè zhǒng lìzǐ huì zìfā shuāibiàn chéng qīngzǐ.
This particle spontaneously decays into leptons.

Tips

usage
Physics term - covers both nuclear decay (α, β, γ types) and particle decay generally. The crucial compound is 半衰期 (bànshuāiqī, "half-decay-period") = half-life, fundamental in nuclear physics, geology (carbon dating), and pharmacology (drug clearance times).
memory
衰 (decline) + 变 (change) - the change that's a decline. Don't confuse the verb sense with general 衰退 (shuāituì, "decline" of an economy) - 衰变 is strictly the physics meaning.

Stroke Order

衰 shuāi
变 biàn