branching ratio

noun

In radioactivity, the portion of all decays that take a given pathway. For example, californium-252 decays by alpha decay ~97% of the time, and by spontaneous fission ~3% of the time; so the branching ratio is about 0.97 in favor of alpha decay, and about 0.03 in favor spontaneous fission.

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Meanings

nounbranching ratio (plural branching ratios)

plural branching ratios

  1. In radioactivity, the portion of all decays that take a given pathway. For example, californium-252 decays by alpha decay ~97% of the time, and by spontaneous fission ~3% of the time; so the branching ratio is about 0.97 in favor of alpha decay, and about 0.03 in favor spontaneous fission.
Cite this entry
APA

branching ratio. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/branching%20ratio

MLA

“branching ratio.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/branching%20ratio. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “branching ratio,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/branching%20ratio.

Source: branching ratio on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.