How do you determine how the age of a specimen where there is only 1/2 of the original Carbon14 isotope left?
What if 1/2 of the original isotope was left?
I cannot show my work because I do not know how to figure this out.
To determine the age of a specimen where only 1/2 of the original Carbon-14 isotope is left, you can use a process called radiocarbon dating. Here's how you can calculate the age:
1. Understand the concept: Carbon-14 is an isotope that is naturally occurring in the atmosphere and is absorbed by living organisms. When an organism dies, it no longer absorbs Carbon-14, and the existing Carbon-14 begins to decay over time. This process is known as radioactive decay.
2. Know the half-life: Carbon-14 has a half-life of approximately 5,730 years. This means that after 5,730 years, half of the Carbon-14 in a sample will have decayed.
3. Determine the remaining Carbon-14 ratio: To find out how much Carbon-14 is left in the specimen compared to the original amount, you can measure the ratio of Carbon-14 to Carbon-12 in the sample. This is typically done using a technique called mass spectrometry.
4. Calculate the number of half-lives: Since only 1/2 of the original Carbon-14 isotope is left, this means that it has undergone one half-life. To find the number of half-lives, you divide the elapsed time by the half-life duration. In this case, if only 1/2 is left, it has undergone one half-life.
5. Apply the half-life formula: To calculate the age of the specimen, you multiply the number of half-lives by the half-life duration. In this case, since it has undergone one half-life, you multiply the half-life duration of Carbon-14 (5,730 years) by one.
So, in summary, if only 1/2 of the original Carbon-14 isotope is left in a specimen, it indicates that it has undergone one half-life. To calculate the age, you can multiply the half-life duration of Carbon-14 (5,730 years) by one.