ProbabilityRadioactive

But true randomness does exists – at the very foundations of matter. A block of radioactive material consists of billions of atoms which decay over time: they fall apart into smaller atoms while emitting dangerous radiation.

Physicists can calculate the probability that a particular atom will decay in a certain period of time, but it is impossible to work out which one will decay next – even if you know the exact properties of every atom.

The overall rate of decay, on the other hand, is so steady that it can be used to calculate the age of fossils that died thousands of years ago on Earth. This process is called Carbon dating.