SOLUTION: The isotope known as carbon-14 is radioactive and will decay into the stable form nitrogen-14. As long as an organism is alive, it ingests air, and the level of carbon-14 in the or

Algebra ->  Exponents -> SOLUTION: The isotope known as carbon-14 is radioactive and will decay into the stable form nitrogen-14. As long as an organism is alive, it ingests air, and the level of carbon-14 in the or      Log On


   

Question 1168494: The isotope known as carbon-14 is radioactive and will decay into the stable form nitrogen-14. As long as an organism is alive, it ingests air, and the level of carbon-14 in the organism remains the same. When it dies, it no longer absorbs carbon-14 from the air, and the carbon-14 in the organism decays.
The half-life of carbon-14 is 5770 years. Assume an organic sample is 13,000 years old.
Determine how many half-lives are in 13,000 years. Then use this answer to determine what percentage of the original amount of carbon-14 remains after 13,000 years. Round your answer as a percentage to the nearest whole number.
Answer by ikleyn(53937) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
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The number of half-lives of the carbon-14 in 13000 years is this fraction/(ratio)


    13000%2F5770 = 2.253.


So, there are 2.253 half-life periods in 13000 years.



The fraction of the original carbon-14 amount remaining after 13000 years is


    f = %281%2F2%29%5E2.253 = 0.5%5E2.253 = 0.210 (rounded).


Or, expressed as a percentage, 21%.

Solved.

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To see many other similar solved problems, see the lesson
    - Using logarithms to solve real world problems
    - Radioactive decay problems
    - Carbon dating problems
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The referred lessons are the part of this online textbook under the topic "Logarithms".


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