Definition:: Half Life

[bigpapa400lb]

Has anybody looked at the definition for halflife.
Saw this on Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary:

Main Entry: half-life
Pronunciation: -"lIf
Function: noun
1 : the time required for half of something to undergo a process: as a : the time required for half of the atoms of a radioactive substance to become disintegrated b : the time required for half the amount of a substance (as a drug or radioactive tracer) in or introduced into a living system or ecosystem to be eliminated or disintegrated by natural processes
2 : a period of usefulness or popularity preceding decline or obsolescence <slang usually has a short half-life>

 

[FireCrack]

1. I'm preety sure the first definition was intended
2. What is the meaning of this? are you suggesting less and less people care about half-life every day?

 

[bigpapa400lb]

No how G-Man cares about gordon freeman.

 

[Scotsman]

As far as I know, from physics in school, a half-life is the time it takes for a radioactive matirial to reach half of its origional activity.

 

[WacK]

...?... :d

 

[terrorist420]

mabye everything gordan occomplishes would have taken him his whole life, but since g-man is stasising him, it would take half of his life ?

lol im not smoking....

 

[jondy]

Ties in nicely with the whole MIT grad. / Black Mesa underground research facility thing, that's all. Opposing Force(s) and Blue Shift fit this line of thinking nicely.

 

[Walkman]

Just thought id post quickly. Im taking an intro to astronomy course in college right now, and we were discussing the doppler effect in viewing starts. anyway, i cant remember right now if its moving twords or away but its known as a "Blue Shift" i think its when its moving twoards. Anyway, also something interesting is the use of the Lambda symbol in the equations to calculate the doppler effects. Just thought it was silly and interesting at the time. Hey, i have to stay awake in there for 3 hours, i'll think of anything.

 

[Blakeb155]

I've never heard of the second meaning... Since HL being set in a science research facility I'd say Valve intended to use the first meaning.