Specific activity of a radioactive isotope is related to what property?

The specific activity of a radioactive isotope is directly related to its decay constant, which is a measure of the rate at which a radioactive isotope converts into a more stable form. The decay constant is linked to how quickly the isotope decays; a higher decay constant means that the isotope is decaying more rapidly, which in turn results in a higher specific activity.

Specific activity is defined as the activity per unit mass of a radioactive material, typically expressed in units such as curies per gram or becquerels per gram. A radioactive material with a short half-life will generally have a high decay constant, and consequently, its specific activity will be high compared to an isotope with a longer half-life.

While atomic mass, half-life, and charge can impact various characteristics of isotopes, they do not specifically determine the quantity of radioactivity per unit mass like the decay constant does. Thus, when talking about the relationship between specific activity and a fundamental property of a radioactive isotopes, the decay constant stands out as the most relevant factor.