disintegrations/second Unit Converter

Definition of disintegrations/second unit

Disintegrations per second (dps) measures radioactive activity: the number of atomic nuclei spontaneously transforming in one second. One dps equals one becquerel (Bq), the SI derived unit of activity, regardless of radiation type or energy.

History of disintegrations/second unit

The concept of counting nuclear transformations per unit time emerged with the study of radioactivity in the late nineteenth century, following Henri Becquerel’s discovery of uranium radiation in 1896. Early researchers commonly expressed activity in curies, based on the approximate activity of one gram of radium-226. The International System of Units later adopted the becquerel in 1975, defining it as one disintegration per second. Although “disintegrations per second” remains a descriptive unit name, dps is numerically identical to the becquerel and is still used when emphasizing the physical counting process.

Applications of disintegrations/second unit

Disintegrations per second is used to report the activity of radioactive sources in laboratories, hospitals, nuclear facilities, environmental monitoring, and education. Examples include measuring a radiotracer’s activity, assessing contamination on surfaces, calibrating detectors, and specifying radionuclide sources. Instruments may estimate dps from detected count rates after accounting for efficiency, geometry, background, and radiation shielding.

Complete list of disintegrations/second unit conversion