Question

Skeletal remains had lost 80% of the C-14 they originally contained. Determine the approximate age (in years) of the bones. (Assume the half-life of carbon-14 is 5730 years. Round your answer to the nearest whole number.)

a. 22920 years
b. 7164 years
c. 14328 years
d. 28656 years

Answer 1

The bones are approximately 22920 years old.

Step-by-step explanation:

The age of the bones can be determined by calculating the number of half-lives that have passed.

Since the half-life of carbon-14 is 5730 years, if the bones have lost 80% of their carbon-14, it means that 4 half-lives have passed (since each half-life reduces the amount of carbon-14 by half).

Therefore, we can calculate the age of the bones by multiplying the half-life by the number of half-lives:

5730 years x 4 = 22920 years

So, the approximate age of the bones is 22920 years.