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Physics vocabulary · Atomic and Nuclear Physics

Isotope

Meaning in physics, with examples

/ˈaɪsətoʊp/nounCore term

In physics, isotope means: One of two or more forms of the same element whose atoms have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons. Isotopes behave the same chemically but have different masses.

In Turkish: izotop

How it is used

Isotopes are named with their mass number: carbon-12, carbon-14, uranium-235. Some are stable and others are radioactive (radioisotopes). Isotopes are used in carbon dating, as medical tracers and as fuel in nuclear power.

Example sentences

  1. Carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope used to date ancient wood and bone.

  2. Deuterium is an isotope of hydrogen with one proton and one neutron.

Common collocations

  • radioactive isotope
  • stable isotope
  • isotope of
  • radioisotope
  • nucleusThe very small, dense centre of an atom, made of protons and neutrons. It contains almost all of the atom's mass and all of its positive charge.
  • atomThe smallest unit of a chemical element, made of a tiny positive nucleus surrounded by negatively charged electrons. Most of an atom is empty space.
  • radioactive decayThe random process in which an unstable nucleus breaks down by giving off radiation, such as alpha particles, beta particles or gamma rays, and often turns into a different element.
  • half-lifeThe time it takes for half of the radioactive nuclei in a sample to decay, or for its activity to fall to half. It is constant for a given isotope.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Atomic and Nuclear Physics

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