A scientist who uses carbon-14 dating is actually measuring the
A) age of the Earth.
B) age of the igneous rocks.
C) time since the death of a living thing.
D) time that an artifact was made.
E) number of carbon ions in a material.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Carbon-14 dating is a method used to determine the age of organic materials based on the decay rate of the Carbon-14 isotope. This isotope is present in living organisms, but begins to decay at a predictable rate once the organism dies. By measuring the amount of Carbon-14 remaining in a sample, scientists can estimate the time that has elapsed since the organism's death.

A Scientist Who Uses Carbon-14 Dating Is Actually Measuring the