Question

An archaeologist locates a fossil of an early human skeleton. To determine the age of the fossil, the archaeologist utilizes a

technique called carbon dating, where the relative amount of carbon-14 can help determine the age of the fossil. Carbon-14 has a


half-life of about 5700 years.


He finds that the fossil contains 15% of the amount of carbon-14 anticipated when compared to a living femur of the same size


The decay of carbon-14 can be calculated as shown below, where No is original amount of carbon-14, t is the time of decay, in


years, represents the rate of decay, and N(I) represents the amount of carbon-14 remaining.


N(t) = Noert


Rounded to the nearest year, the skeleton is approximately___ years old.

Answer 1

Carbon dating is used to determine the age of fossils. By comparing the amount of carbon-14 in the fossil to a living sample and using the decay equation, the approximate age of the fossil can be calculated.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the age of the fossil, the archaeologist utilizes a technique called carbon dating. Carbon-14 has a half-life of about 5,700 years. The archaeologist finds that the fossil contains 15% of the amount of carbon-14 anticipated when compared to a living femur of the same size.

The decay of carbon-14 can be calculated using the equation N(t) = No * e^(rt), where No is the original amount of carbon-14, t is the time of decay in years, and r represents the rate of decay.

Based on the given information, the skeleton is approximately 19,200 years old.