: the property possessed by some elements (such as uranium) or isotopes (such as carbon 14) of spontaneously emitting energetic particles (such as electrons or alpha particles) by the disintegration of their atomic nuclei
also: the rays emitted
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebAnother other notable anomaly is in the mass of the W-boson, a subatomic particle involved in the action of the weak nuclear force that governs some types of radioactivity. Tom Metcalfe, NBC News, 14 June 2022 The announcement -- the first-ever official disclosure of a nuclear accident by the Soviet Union -- came hours after the Scandinavian countries reported abnormally high levels of radioactivity in their skies.San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2022 The radioactive signal of uranium Z was about 500 times weaker than the radioactivity of the other isotopes in the sample, so Hahn decided to confirm his observations by using more material. Artemis Spyrou, The Conversation, 24 May 2022 Such an explosion would likely still have scattered dangerous radioactivity over a wide area. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 23 Mar. 2022 What's more, industrial accidents leading to a significant release of radioactivity cannot happen with a power plant using fusion technology. Don Lincoln, CNN, 11 Feb. 2022 The Russian military’s capture of the Chernobyl nuclear facility in northern Ukraine last week led to heightened levels of both radioactivity and confusion. Adriana Petryna, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2022 Russian forces may think that they are protected by the zone, as damage to the facility could unleash dangerous levels of radioactivity. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 24 Feb. 2022 There also have been industrial accidents, like at Fukushima and Chernobyl which have released dangerous radioactivity into the environment. Don Lincoln, CNN, 11 Feb. 2022 See More