Answered: Scientists can determine the age of…

Chemistry

10th Edition

ISBN:9781305957404

Author:Steven S. Zumdahl, Susan A. Zumdahl, Donald J. DeCoste

Publisher:Steven S. Zumdahl, Susan A. Zumdahl, Donald J. DeCoste

Chapter1: Chemical Foundations

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 1RQ: Define and explain the differences between the following terms. a. law and theory b. theory and...

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Scientists can determine the age of ancient objects by the method of radiocarbon dating. The bombardment of the upper atmosphere by cosmic rays converts nitrogen to a radioactive isotope of carbon, ¹⁴C, with a half-life of about 5,730 years. Vegetation absorbs carbon dioxide through the atmosphere, and animal life assimilates ¹⁴C through food chains. When a plant or animal dies, it stops replacing its carbon, and the amount of ¹⁴C present begins to decrease through radioactive decay. Therefore, the level of radioactivity must also decay exponentially.

a) Dinosaur fossils are too old to be reliably dated using carbon-14. Suppose we had a 67 million year old dinosaur fossil. What percent of the living dinosaur's ¹⁴C would be remaining today? (Round your answer to five decimal places.)

b) Suppose the minimum detectable amount is 0.7%. What is the maximum age (in years) of a fossil that we could date using ¹⁴C? (Round your answer to the nearest year.)

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