Question

Carbon-14 is used for archaeological carbon dating. Its half-life is 5,730 years. How much of a 250g sample of carbon-14 will be left in 5,000 years? Write your answer rounded to the nearest hundredth.

Answer 1

88.61

Explanation:

This problem requires two main steps. First, we must find the decay constant k. If we start with 100g, at the half-life there will be 50g remaining. We will use this information to find k. Then, use that value of k to help us find the amount of sample that will be left in 1,000 years.

Identify the variables in the formula.

In 1,000 years, there will be approximately 88.61g remaining.