The ¹⁴C activity of some ancient Peruvian corn was found to be 10 disintegrations per minute per gram of carbon. If present-day plant life shows 15 dpm/g, how old is the Peruvian corn? The half-life of ¹⁴C is 5730 yr.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The formula for calculating the age using ¹⁴C activity is: Age = (ln(initial activity/current activity) / ln(2)) x half-life Let's plug in the values given in the problem: Age = (ln(10/15) / ln(2)) x 5730 Age = 0.1455 x 5730 Age = 833.4 yrs Therefore, the Peruvian corn is approximately 3,350 years old. The closest answer choice is C).

The 14C Activity of Some Ancient Peruvian Corn Was Found

The ¹⁴C Activity of Some Ancient Peruvian Corn Was Found