The graph shows the radioactive decay of a bone that is found to contain 1/8 of the carbon-14 found in living animals today.
Approximately how old is the bone?
a
17,190 years
b
5,730 years
c
22,920 years
d
11,460 years
The graph shows the decay of carbon-14 over time. The half-life of carbon-14 is approximately 5,730 years. Since the bone contains 1/8 of the carbon-14 found in living animals today, we can determine that it has undergone three half-lives (1/2 * 1/2 * 1/2 = 1/8).
Therefore, the approximate age of the bone is 3 * 5,730 = 17,190 years.
The answer is (a) 17,190 years.