Approximately how old is a fossil that has a little more than 6% of its original radioactivity? The half-life of carbon-14 used in dating artifacts is 5700 years.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Since the fossil has a little more than 6% of its original radioactivity, it has undergone several half-lives. Using the half-life formula, we can determine the number of half-lives that have passed:
6% = (1/2)^(n)
n = 4.1
Therefore, the fossil has undergone 4.1 half-lives. Multiplying this by the half-life of carbon-14 (5700 years) gives us the approximate age of the fossil: 
4.1 x 5700 = 23,370 years
Since this is a multiple-choice question, we must choose the most appropriate option. The closest answer is 20,000 years, which is Choice C. Therefore, the answer is C.

Approximately How Old Is a Fossil That Has a Little