The formula to calculate the decay constant is:
\[ \lambda = \frac{\ln(2)}{t_{1/2}} \]
Where:
A decay constant is defined as the ratio between the half-life of a substance and the total size of the substance. It represents the probability per unit time that a given particle will decay.
Example:
Step 1: Calculate the decay constant:
\[ \lambda = \frac{\ln(2)}{5730} \approx 0.000121 \text{ s}^{-1} \]