Half-life is a term used in science to describe the time it takes for half of a substance to decay or break down. This concept is often applied to radioactive materials, like uranium or carbon-14, which release energy as they transform into different elements. For example, if you start with 100 grams of a radioactive substance, after one half-life, you would have 50 grams remaining, and after another half-life, only 25 grams would be left. Understanding half-life is important in various fields, including nuclear medicine and archaeology. In nuclear medicine, doctors use the half-life of radioactive isotopes to determine how long a treatment will be effective. In archaeology, scientists use the half-life of carbon-14 to date ancient artifacts,