Final answer:
Chemistry allows us to estimate the age of once-living artifacts like Egyptian mummies by measuring carbon-14 levels. The mummy in question, with three-fifths of the normal C-14 level, indicates it has undergone less than one half-life of decay. Calculating the exact time since death requires the half-life decay formula.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding the concept in the student's question involves the science of radiocarbon dating, which is primarily a topic in Chemistry. In the case of the Egyptian mummy mentioned, the fact that the amount of carbon-14 (C-14) present is only about three-fifths the amount found in living human beings suggests that the mummy has been decaying since its death, and a portion of the original C-14 has undergone radioactive decay. Carbon-14 dating relies on the fact that while organisms are alive, they maintain a constant level of C-14. When they die, they no longer absorb C-14, and the isotope begins to decay at a predictable rate, known as its half-life, which is 5730 years. By measuring how much C-14 remains compared to the amount expected in a living specimen, one can calculate the time since death.
Using the provided reference that 3.125 grams of C-14 will remain after three half-lives, we can deduce the principle underlying the decay process. Since the mummy has three-fifths of the normal amount of C-14, it has gone through less than a single half-life, because after one half-life only half of the original amount would be left. The actual age of the mummy would require the use of the decay formula to ascertain the precise time that has passed. In general, the decay of C-14 provides a reliable tool for dating once-living artifacts, such as the mummified remains, giving us an insight into the past.