A long half-life indicates higher stability and vice versa

Chemistry Jun 01, 2021

A long half-life indicates higher stability and vice versa.

Half-life is a measure of how long it takes for one half of the atoms of a nuclide to undergo radioactive decay. A short half-life indicates that the nuclides decay quickly, while a long one indicates they decay more slowly.

With this in mind, an atom won't decay until it's so unstable that it can't avoid undergoing decay. As a result, a long half-life indicates higher stability than short half-life.