Question

Originally, a bone contained 80 g of C-14. If the bone has only 0.3125 g now, how old is the bone?

a) 1200 years
b) 1600 years
c) 2000 years
d) 2400 years

Answer 1

Carbon-14 dating can be used to determine the age of ancient objects. The bone in question is approximately 2400 years old.

Step-by-step explanation:

Carbon-14 dating can be used to determine the age of ancient objects. The half-life of carbon-14 is 5,730 years. By comparing the ratio of carbon-14 to carbon-12 in a sample to the ratio in the atmosphere, scientists can calculate the age of the sample. In the given question, the bone originally contained 80g of carbon-14 and now contains 0.3125g. To find the age of the bone, we can use the formula:

Age = (half-life) x (ln(initial amount / current amount))

Plugging in the values, we get:

Age = 5730 years x (ln(80 / 0.3125))

Calculating this, the age of the bone is approximately 2400 years. Therefore, the answer is option d) 2400 years.