Final answer:
At death, C14 decays at a constant rate known as the half-life. The half-life of carbon-14 is approximately 5,730 years, and this property helps scientists date organic remains through radiocarbon dating.
Step-by-step explanation:
At death, C14 begins to decay at a constant rate, called the half-life. Carbon-14 (C-14) is a radioactive isotope that is taken in by living organisms. While the organism is alive, the ratio of C-14 to the stable carbon-12 (C-12) remains constant. After death, C-14 decays and the C-14:C-12 ratio decreases. The decrease in the ratio over time allows scientists to date when an organism died, which is the basis forcradiocarbon dating. The half-life of C-14 is approximately 5,730 years, which means that after this time, half of the original concentration of C-14 has decayed.