Final answer:
The term for the original sample before it decays during radioactive decay and carbon dating is the 'parent isotope', which in the context of radiocarbon dating, is carbon-14.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term used for the original sample before it decays in the context of radioactive decay and carbon dating is commonly referred to as the parent isotope. When discussing the process by which an unstable parental atomic nucleus loses energy by emitting radiation in a spontaneous process, this parent isotope is significant as it represents the starting material. For example, in the case of radiocarbon dating, which is used for dating organic artifacts such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, the original carbon-14 isotope would be considered the parent isotope. Over time, carbon-14 decays into a more stable daughter isotope, nitrogen-14, and scientists can measure the remaining parent isotope to determine the age of the sample. This process relies on the fact that living organisms have a certain proportion of carbon-14, and after they die, the carbon-14 begins to decay at a predictable rate, known as its half-life.