The half-life of ¹⁴C is 5730 yr. Assuming some charcoal from a campfire 29,000 years old was found, what fraction of the original C-14 would remain today?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The half-life of C-14 is 5730 years. To find the fraction remaining after 29,000 years, divide 29,000 by 5730 to get the number of half-lives, which is approximately 5.06. Using the formula for decay, $ (1/2)^{n} $, where n is the number of half-lives, $ (1/2)^{5.06} $ gives approximately 0.03 or $ 3.0 \times 10^{-2} $.

The Half-Life of 14C Is 5730 Yr

The Half-Life of ¹⁴C Is 5730 Yr