SOLUTION: Please help! Im stuck! a scientist wants to estimate the age of a piece of wood. The half life of carbon-14 is 5730 years. Let f(t) represent the percent of carbon-14 that remai

Question 432653: Please help! Im stuck!
a scientist wants to estimate the age of a piece of wood. The half life of carbon-14 is 5730 years. Let f(t) represent the percent of carbon-14 that remains in the wood at the t years after the wood dies.
Equation:
f(t)= 100(1/2)^t/5730
If 20% of the carbon-14 remains, how old is the wood.
Answer by ewatrrr(24785) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!



Hi

f(t)= 100(1/2)^t/5730 

If 20% of the carbon-14 remains, how old is the wood.

 .20 =(1/2)^t/5730 

 log.2/log.5 = t/5730

 5730(log.2/log.5) = t

 5730*2.3219 = 12,304.648  years old



make sense: 25% left after 2*5730 = 11,460 years 

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