Explain how knowing the half life of the element lokium would help determine the exact age of rock in which this element is found.
Knowing the half-life of the element lokium would indeed help determine the exact age of the rock in which this element is found.
The half-life of an element refers to the time it takes for half of the radioactive material to decay. Radioactive materials decay at a constant and predictable rate, which makes them useful for determining the age of rocks and other geological materials.
Assuming the element lokium is radioactive, let's say it has a half-life of 1 million years. Now, if we find a rock containing lokium, we can measure the ratio of the original amount of lokium to the remaining amount.
For example, let's assume we find a rock with a certain ratio of lokium to another stable element (let's call it stableium). If we know the half-life of lokium is 1 million years and measure that 50% of the lokium has decayed into stableium, we can then calculate that the rock must be 1 million years old.
If we find that only 25% of the original lokium remains, we can calculate that 2 half-lives have passed, indicating that the rock is approximately 2 million years old. Similarly, if we measure that 87.5% of the original lokium is still present, it would indicate that 3 half-lives have passed, estimating the age of the rock to be approximately 3 million years.
By measuring the amount of radioactive lokium remaining in a rock and comparing it to the known half-life of the element, scientists can calculate the age of the rock. This method is known as radiometric dating and has revolutionized our understanding of Earth's geological history and the evolution of life on our planet.