I've heard an entertaining argument that the answer to your rhetorical question is zero. If there's a heap of sand and someone takes away one grain, there's still a heap of sand. If we repeat this many times, we have a heap of only one grain of sand, then remove that grain and have a heap of sand with no grains of sand left in it.
GlassBraid t1_jcbg1ww wrote
Reply to comment by Sharlinator in Radon is a monatomic gas, but its decay products are solids. After a decay, what happens to the individual atoms of the daughter elements? Do they stay suspended in the atmosphere or slowly rain out? by foodtower
I've heard an entertaining argument that the answer to your rhetorical question is zero. If there's a heap of sand and someone takes away one grain, there's still a heap of sand. If we repeat this many times, we have a heap of only one grain of sand, then remove that grain and have a heap of sand with no grains of sand left in it.