An archaeologist graduate student found a leg bone of a large animal during the building of a new science building.The bone had a carbon-14 decay rate of 14.8 disintegrations per minute per gram of carbon.Living organisms have a decay rate of 15.3 disintegrations per minute.How old is the bone?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The formula for carbon-14 dating is t = (ln(Nf/N0)/(-0.693)) x t1/2, where t is the age of the sample, Nf is the number of carbon-14 atoms left in the sample, N0 is the original number of carbon-14 atoms in the sample, and t1/2 is the half-life of carbon-14 (5,700 years). Solving for t, we get t = (ln(14.8/15.3)/(-0.693)) x 5,700 = 275 years. Therefore, the bone is approximately 275 years old.

An Archaeologist Graduate Student Found a Leg Bone of a Large