Question

How old is a sample that contains 87.5% of the daughter isotope Nitrogen-14?

Option 1: 5730 Years
Option 2: 11460 Years
Option 3: 17190 Years
Option 4: 22920 Years

Answer 1

The age of the sample can be determined using radiometric dating and the concept of half-life. The correct answer is option 1: 5730 years.

Step-by-step explanation:

The age of a sample that contains 87.5% of the daughter isotope Nitrogen-14 can be determined by using radiometric dating and the concept of half-life.

The half-life of Carbon-14 (¹⁴C) is approximately 5,730 years.

This means that after 5,730 years, half of the original ¹⁴C will have decayed to ¹⁴N. Since Nitrogen-14 is the daughter isotope, it is safe to assume that the original isotope is Carbon-14.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 1: 5730 Years.