Question

While out canoeing, you discover the remains of a dugout canoe in a river bed. You remove a sample of the wood and have it analyzed for carbon-14. It has one-quarter (25%) of the carbon-14 expected in a living tree. About how long ago did the tree that the canoe was made from die?

A. approximately 23,000 years
B. about 5,730 years
C. about 573 years
D. about 11,500 years

Answer 1

The wooden sample from the dugout canoe is approximately 11,500 years old.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks about determining the age of a wooden sample found in a river bed by analyzing its carbon-14 content. Carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope that decays over time. By comparing the carbon-14 disintegration rate in the wood sample to the expected disintegration rate in a living tree, we can estimate the age. In this case, the wood sample has one-quarter of the expected carbon-14, indicating that it is approximately 11,500 years old. Therefore, option D, about 11,500 years, is the correct answer.