Chapter 20.3, Problem 16R

To determine

The reason that carbon-14 can’t be used to date the age of a skeleton which is millions of years old.

BecauseCarbon-14 dating cannot be used for the materials which are more than about 60,000 years old.

Introduction:

There are different methods to estimate the age of sample materials. The effective method involves an understanding of radioactivity and half-life of a material.

Explanation:

Carbon-14 is useful in dating various types of materials. Conditions for using method for Carbon-14 dating are as follows:

• The carbon-14 can be used to date the material which is organic in nature. Thus, it cannot be used for materials which are not the part of living organisms like metals and marbles.
• It can be used for the materials which are less than about 60,000 years old. So, Uranium-235 can be used for that purpose. Dinosaur fossils (skeleton) or rocks that are million or billion years of old cannot be dated using carbon-14 dating. So, an archeologist is unable to use carbon-14 to accurately date the age of a skeleton that is millions of years old.

Conclusion:

Hence,an archeologist unable to use carbon-14 to accurately date the age of a skeleton that is millions of years old.

Answer to Problem 16R

BecauseCarbon-14 dating cannot be used for the materials which are more than about 60,000 years old.

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:

There are different methods to estimate the age of sample materials. The effective method involves an understanding of radioactivity and half-life of a material.

Carbon-14 is useful in dating various types of materials. Conditions for using method for Carbon-14 dating are as follows:

• The carbon-14 can be used to date the material which is organic in nature. Thus, it cannot be used for materials which are not the part of living organisms like metals and marbles.
• It can be used for the materials which are less than about 60,000 years old. So, Uranium-235 can be used for that purpose. Dinosaur fossils (skeleton) or rocks that are million or billion years of old cannot be dated using carbon-14 dating. So, an archeologist is unable to use carbon-14 to accurately date the age of a skeleton that is millions of years old.

Conclusion:

Hence,an archeologist unable to use carbon-14 to accurately date the age of a skeleton that is millions of years old.