Question

Explain how half life is used to determine the age of a fossil

Answer 1

Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5,730 years. After an organism dies, it stops absorbing new carbon-14 from the environment, and the isotope begins to decay at an exponential rate. Only half of the original carbon-14 isotope will remain in the fossil 5,730 years after the organism died.

Answer 2

Half life

Step-by-step explanation:

Half-life is the time it takes for half of the radioactive isotopes in a sample to decay. Fossils can be dated using a technique called radiometric dating. This method involves measuring the amount of a radioactive isotope in a sample and comparing it to the amount of its decay product. By knowing the half-life of the radioactive isotope, scientists can calculate the age of the fossil.

For example, let's say a fossil contains a radioactive isotope with a half-life of 100 years. If the amount of the isotope in the fossil is measured to be half of what it was originally, then we know that 100 years have passed since the fossil was formed. If the amount of the isotope in the fossil is one quarter of the original amount, then we know that 200 years have passed since the fossil was formed.

This method of dating can be used for fossils that are millions of years old. However, it's important to note that radiometric dating is not always precise, and different radioactive isotopes have different half-lives, which affects their usefulness for dating different types of fossils. Additionally, external factors such as contamination or the loss of isotopes over time can also affect the accuracy of radiometric dating.