Question

How old is a bone if it presently contains 0.3125g of C-14, but it was estimated to have originally contained 80.000g of C-14?

A) Approximately 5730 years old
B) Approximately 11,460 years old
C) Approximately 17,190 years old
D) Approximately 22,920 years old

Answer 1

The bone is approximately 22,920 years old, calculated using the number of half-lives (8) that have passed since the bone initially contained 80 g of C-14.

Step-by-step explanation:

The age of a bone containing Carbon-14 (C-14) can be determined by calculating the number of half-lives that have passed since the organism died. Given that the half-life of C-14 is 5730 years, we can use the amount of C-14 remaining in the bone to calculate its age. If the bone initially contained 80 g of C-14 and now contains 0.3125 g, this means that there have been 8 half-lives, as 80 g would halve to 40 g, then to 20 g, and so on, until it reaches 0.3125 g. Multiplying the number of half-lives by the half-life period (8 × 5730 years), we find that the bone is approximately 22,920 years old.