What is the famous isotope used in archeological dating?
carbon 12
I thought it was carbon 14
yes
carbon 14-- made an error
But if you knew, why are you asking these questions?
I need reaasurance, so when I have a test I know the exact answer
C-14 is ONE of the radioactive isotopes used for dating. U/Pb is another. K/Ar is another. I have never heard anything about C-14 being "famous." The particular isotope used depends upon the age of the object to be dated. For example, C-14 has a half-live of about 5700 years which is useful for determining the age of fossils that are not too old (in the thousands/ten thoushands of years); however, it isn't useful for determining the age of really old old stuff (say the earth) with an age of several billion years.
You are correct that carbon-14 is indeed a commonly used isotope in archaeological dating. However, it is important to note that it is not the only isotope used for this purpose. Other isotopes such as uranium-lead (U/Pb) and potassium-argon (K/Ar) are also commonly used depending on the age of the object being dated.
The choice of the isotope depends on the age range of the sample. Carbon-14, with its relatively short half-life of about 5700 years, is useful for dating objects within the range of thousands to tens of thousands of years. This makes it suitable for dating organic material such as bones or wood found in archaeological sites.
On the other hand, isotopes like U/Pb and K/Ar have much longer half-lives, making them suitable for dating much older materials. For example, U/Pb dating is commonly used to determine the age of rocks and minerals that are billions of years old.
So, to answer your question, carbon-14 is indeed a famous isotope used in archaeological dating due to its applications in dating relatively young materials. However, it is important to understand that different isotopes are used depending on the age range of the object being dated.