Final answer:
Radiocarbon dating is not 100% accurate due to variations in the atmospheric 14C:12C ratio from fossil fuel combustion, limitations due to the half-life of carbon-14, contamination, and calibration errors. Correction factors and cross-referencing with other methods help, but intrinsic constraints limit its precision.
Step-by-step explanation:
Radiocarbon dating, also known as carbon-14 dating, provides an estimate for the age of carbon-bearing materials but is not 100% accurate due to several factors. While the method relies on the decay of carbon-14, inaccuracies arise from changes in the 14C:12C atmospheric ratio caused primarily by the combustion of fossil fuels. This alters the baseline level of carbon-14 in the environment. Additionally, the dating process is limited by the half-life of carbon-14 (5,730 years), making it challenging to accurately date samples that are older than about 50,000 years.
Other sources of inaccuracy include contamination of samples with modern carbon and calibration errors. To improve accuracy, scientists apply correction factors derived from other dating methods such as dendrochronology (tree ring dating). Yet, despite these efforts, the inherent limitations of the method, such as its maximum dating limit and susceptibility to environmental variation, mean that it cannot provide absolute dates. As a result, radiocarbon dating should be seen as a tool for obtaining approximate age estimates rather than definitive timelines.