After excavating a hearth feature you submit organic material from the hearth for a conventional radiocarbon date. The result comes back as follows: Beta-33003, 3500+/- 100 radiocarbon years BP. You know that:
A) beta represents the Laboratory.
B) 3500 represents the years before present.
C) +/- 100 represents the standard error.
D) All of the answers are correct.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Each part of the radiocarbon date result has a specific meaning: "Beta" indicates the laboratory that processed the sample, "3500" years before present (BP) is the estimated age of the sample, and "+/- 100" represents the standard error of the estimate, indicating the range within which the actual date is likely to fall.

After Excavating a Hearth Feature You Submit Organic Material from the Hearth