Why is carbon-14 radioactive, while carbon-12 is not? Be sure to use the terms protons and neutrons in your answer for full credit.
this will be copied and pasted fyi
Carbon-12 and carbon-14 are two isotopes of the element carbon. The difference between carbon-12 and carbon-14 is the number of neutrons in each of their atoms, this is why one of them is radioactive and the other isnt
Carbon-12 is stable, meaning it never undergoes. radioactive decay. Carbon-14 is unstable and undergoes radioactive decay with a half-life of about 5,730 years (meaning that half of the material will be gone after 5,730 years)
