If the original amount of Carbon-14 is 142 kilograms, how much will the sample weight in 11,400 years?
To answer this question, we need to consider the radioactive decay of Carbon-14. Carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope with a half-life of approximately 5730 years. This means that after 5730 years, half of the original Carbon-14 will have decayed.
To calculate the amount of Carbon-14 remaining after a certain number of years, we can use the formula:
Amount remaining = Initial amount * (1/2)^(number of half-lives)
Given that the original amount of Carbon-14 is 142 kilograms and the half-life is 5730 years, we can calculate the number of half-lives in 11,400 years:
Number of half-lives = 11,400 years / 5730 years per half-life
Number of half-lives = 2
Now, we can calculate the amount of Carbon-14 remaining after 11,400 years:
Amount remaining = 142 kg * (1/2)^2
Amount remaining = 142 kg * (1/4)
Amount remaining = 35.5 kg
Therefore, the sample will weigh approximately 35.5 kilograms after 11,400 years.