Final answer:
The number of half-lives that a sample has undergone can be determined by dividing the amount of time that has passed by the half-life of the element.
Step-by-step explanation:
The half-life of a sample is the time required for half of its radioactive isotopes to decay. In non-radioactive contexts, it refers to the time needed for a substance to reduce by half. This concept is crucial in understanding decay processes and estimating the stability or persistence of substances.
The number of half-lives that a sample has undergone can be determined by dividing the amount of time that has passed by the half-life of the element. In this case, the half-life of carbon-14 is 5,730 years. To find the number of half-lives, you can divide the total time by the half-life. For example, if 10.0% of a sample of carbon-14 has decayed, it means that it has undergone one half-life.