What are degradation rates?

Degradation rates are how fast things break down or wear out over time.

Imagine you have a favorite toy that you play with every day. Each time you use it, it gets a little worn out, maybe the paint starts to chip off, or the pieces get loose. That’s like degradation, the process of something getting worse or breaking down. Now, if your toy breaks down really fast, say after just a few days of play, that means it has a high degradation rate. But if it lasts for weeks or even months before it starts to look old and tired, that means it has a low degradation rate.

Think about how you count your candy, one piece at a time. Degradation rates are kind of like counting how many times something breaks down in a certain amount of time. If a toy wears out after 10 days, its degradation rate is faster than if it wears out after 30 days.

So, the next time you see your toy getting old, remember, it's just showing off its degradation rate!