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The decay constant is the probability per second that a given nucleus decays, and it relates to half-life as lambda = ln2/t(half). Carbon-14's 5730 year half-life gives lambda = 3.83e-12 per second and a mean lifetime of 8267 years - always 1/ln2 times the half-life, about 44% longer.
Decay constant
lambda = ln2 / t(half)
Mean lifetime
tau = 1 / lambda = t(half) / ln2
Because the distribution has a long tail. Half the nuclei are gone by the half-life, but the survivors keep the average up to t(half)/ln2.
No, it is intrinsic to the nuclide and unaffected by temperature, pressure or chemistry - which is what makes radiometric dating reliable.