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originally, What is the estimated age of the artifact? (The half-life of 7. An archeologist finds an artifact that contains 44% of the carbon-14 that it would have had carbon-14 is 5,730 years.)

User Kalle Richter
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1 Answer

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24 votes

Answer: To determine the estimated age of the artifact, we can use the half-life of carbon-14 and the percentage of carbon-14 that is present in the artifact.

The half-life of carbon-14 is the amount of time it takes for half of the carbon-14 in a sample to decay. In this case, the half-life of carbon-14 is 7,730 years.

The percentage of carbon-14 that is present in the artifact is 44%. This means that the artifact contains 44% of the carbon-14 that it would have had when it was originally made.

To determine the age of the artifact, we can use the formula:

age = (half-life / log(2)) * log(percentage of carbon-14 / 100)

Substituting the values from the problem into the formula, we get:

age = (7,730 years / log(2)) * log(44% / 100)

age = (7,730 years / 0.693) * log(0.44)

age = 11,095 years * (-0.847)

age = -9,432 years

Therefore, the estimated age of the artifact is -9,432 years.

It is important to note that this is just an estimate, and the actual age of the artifact may be different. Carbon-14 dating is only accurate up to a certain point, and the accuracy of the age determination depends on several factors, including the initial concentration of carbon-14 in the sample and the presence of any contaminants.

User Angela Amarapala
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