Becquerel
The SI unit of radioactivity, equal to one nuclear disintegration per second.
Formula / equation
1 Bq = 1 s⁻¹
Unit
Bq
In depth
The becquerel is a very small unit, so practical measurements use kilobecquerels and megabecquerels. Because modern detectors can register individual decays, activities of only a few becquerels are measurable, which is why trace contamination is so easily detected.
Examples in the real world
A typical adult human body has a natural activity of about 4000 Bq, mostly from potassium-40.