Use this paragraph: The half-life of carbon-14 is 5,700 years. A certain sample of wood has 20 grams of carbon-14 when it is alive.
How many grams of carbon will it have after 5,700 years?
After 5,700 years, the sample of wood will have 10 grams of carbon-14.
Which statement best describes why most individual organisms never fossilized?(1 point)
Most individual organisms never fossilized because the conditions for fossilization are rare and specific.
To find the number of grams of carbon-14 remaining after 5,700 years, we can use the concept of half-life. The half-life of carbon-14 is 5,700 years, which means that after this time, half of the carbon-14 atoms will decay.
Initially, the sample of wood had 20 grams of carbon-14. After the first half-life of 5,700 years, half of the carbon-14 will have decayed, leaving us with 10 grams of carbon-14.
After the second half-life of 5,700 years, another half of the remaining carbon-14 will decay, leaving us with 5 grams of carbon-14.
This process will continue with each half-life, and after 5,700 years, the sample of wood will have 5 grams of carbon-14.
To calculate the number of grams of carbon-14 remaining after 5,700 years, we need to use the concept of half-life. The half-life of carbon-14 is 5,700 years, which means that over this period, half of the carbon-14 atoms will decay into nitrogen-14 atoms.
Now, let's break down the problem step by step to find the answer:
Step 1: Determine the number of half-lives in 5,700 years.
Since the half-life of carbon-14 is 5,700 years, dividing 5,700 years by the half-life will give us the number of half-lives it goes through. In this case, 5,700 years divided by 5,700 years (the half-life) equals 1 half-life.
Step 2: Calculate the remaining amount of carbon-14 after 1 half-life.
After one half-life, half of the initial carbon-14 will have decayed. Since the initial sample had 20 grams of carbon-14, after 1 half-life, only half of it will remain. Therefore, we will have 10 grams of carbon-14 left.
Therefore, the sample of wood will have 10 grams of carbon-14 after 5,700 years.