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A sample of ancient bone is analyzed using carbon-14 dating. If the bone contains 50% as much C-14 as a modern bone, what is its approximate age?

A. 50 years old
B. 5,000 years old
C. 50,000 years old
D. 100,000 years old

User Greenwich
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1 Answer

4 votes

Answer:

The correct option is;

B. 5,000 years old

Step-by-step explanation:

The percentage amount of carbon-14 in the sample = 50%

The half life of carbon 14 = 5700

The half-life of a substance is the time it takes for a given sample of the substance to decay such that only half of the original quantity of the substance remains

The half-life of carbon 14 is around 5.730 years, which means it takes 5,730 years for a given quantity of carbon 14 to decompose and have 50% of the original quantity remaining

Therefore, given that only 50% of carbon 14 is remaining in the bone, the duration for the decomposition is approximately the half life of carbon 14, and the best option is that the age of the bone is approximately 5,000 years.

User Berkay Kirmizioglu
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