Is there any way to predict a radioisotopes half-life?
The only practical means is through experimentation – measure the change in the mass of a sample over a period of time. There is an impractical way – it could be done in principle, but I do not know if it could be done in practice. You can use QUANTUM MECHANICS; we now have a fair understanding of why certain types of radioactivity take place, and there are various theories that can explain it. We also know now that the stability of a nucleus is somewhat dependent on the ratio of its mass and the number of protons in it. I think Quantum Field Theory can theoretically predict the half-life of a hypothetical nucleus to a stupendous degree of accuracy. (Impractical?
