Question

"The ratio of carbon-14 to carbon-12 in a fossil can be used to determine the age of the fossil because __________. a.carbon-14, unlike carbon-12, decays at a continuous rate after the death of an organism b.the amount of carbon-14 in most environments has steadily decreased since the origin of Earth c.more recently evolved organisms are more efficient in assimilating carbon-14 d.the process of fossilization entails absorption of carbon-14 at a continuous rate from surrounding sediment e.meteorite impacts at known times have periodically increased the amount of carbon-14 on Earth"

Answer 1

The ratio of carbon-14 to carbon-12 in a fossil can be used to determine its age because carbon-14 decays at a continuous rate after the death of an organism. hence option A is correct.

Step-by-step explanation:

The ratio of carbon-14 to carbon-12 in a fossil can be used to determine the age of the fossil because carbon-14, unlike carbon-12, decays at a continuous rate after the death of an organism. Carbon-14 has a known half-life of 5,730 years, which means that approximately half of the original 14C in an organism will have decayed after this time period. By comparing the ratio of 14C to 12C in a fossil to the ratio in living organisms, scientists can calculate the age of the fossil. hence option A is correct.