A fossil is found that contains 6.25% radioactive Carbon-14 and 93.75% decayed element. Approximately how old is the fossil? a5730 yrs b11460 yrs c17190 yrs d22920 yrs e28650 yrs
Question
A fossil is found that contains 6.25% radioactive Carbon-14 and 93.75% decayed element. Approximately how old is the fossil? a5730 yrs b11460 yrs c17190 yrs d22920 yrs e28650 yrs
Solution
The age of a fossil can be determined using the half-life of Carbon-14, which is approximately 5730 years. This means that every 5730 years, half of the Carbon-14 in a sample will have decayed.
In this case, the fossil contains 6.25% radioactive Carbon-14. This is 1/16 of the original amount, as 100% divided by 16 equals 6.25%.
Since each half-life reduces the amount of Carbon-14 by half, we can calculate the number of half-lives that have passed by using the formula 2^n = 16, where n is the number of half-lives. Solving for n, we get n = 4.
Therefore, the fossil is approximately 4 half-lives old. Multiplying the number of half-lives by the length of each half-life (5730 years), we get 4 * 5730 = 22920 years.
So, the correct answer is d) 22920 years.
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