Question

The half-life of 14c is 5730 years. scientists measure the ratio of 12c to 14c in a tree today and in wood taken from an archaeological site. they find the amount of 14c in the wood from the archaeological site is ¼ that found in the tree today. given this, about how old is the archaeological wood sample?

Answer 1

Answer: 14,320 years old

Step-by-step explanation:

The archaeological wood sample is 14,320 years old This is calculated by taking the half-life of 14c (5730 years) and multiplying it by 4 (the ratio of 12c to 14c in the tree today and the archaeological site). The result is that the 14c at the archaeological site has decayed 4 times, meaning that it has been 5730 x 4 = 14,320 years since the sample was taken.