An example is the decay of K40 (potassium-40) to Ar40 (argon-40) or Ca40 (calcium 40).
Here is a puzzle. K40 atoms are red. Ar40
and Ca40 atoms are blue.
For the atoms shown, assuming that you started
with just K atoms and no atoms have escaped, how many
half lives have elapsed?
Answer: There are 20 total K and Ar and Ca atoms, and 5 K atoms are left. 5 is 1/4 of 20. To get to 1/4 takes 2 half lives.