document.write( "Question 64487This question is from textbook college algebra
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document.write( ": I have used this sight before but it has been awhile. I having trouble with this carbon-14 dating question. Can anyone help me.\r
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document.write( "We are using 5715 has a half life of carbon-14. \r
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document.write( "A mummy was found with only 24.6% of carbon-14. How long ago did the person die, to the nearest year. \r
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document.write( "Thanks \n" );
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Algebra.Com's Answer #45121 by ankor@dixie-net.com(22740)![]() ![]() You can put this solution on YOUR website! We are using 5715 has a half life of carbon-14. \n" ); document.write( "A mummy was found with only 24.6% of carbon-14. How long ago did the person die, to the nearest year. \n" ); document.write( ": \n" ); document.write( "The half-life decay equation that I am familiar with: \n" ); document.write( " A = Ao*2^(-t/h) \n" ); document.write( "Where: \n" ); document.write( "A = resulting amt \n" ); document.write( "Ao = Original amt \n" ); document.write( "t = time in yrs (5715 for carbon 14) \n" ); document.write( "h = half-life in yrs \n" ); document.write( ": \n" ); document.write( "In the this problem result can be given in a decimal of .246, so Ao = 1.00 \n" ); document.write( ": \n" ); document.write( "So we have: \n" ); document.write( "2^(-t/5715) = .246\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Using natural logs equiv of exponents we have: \n" ); document.write( "(-t/5715)*ln(2) = ln(.246) \n" ); document.write( "-t/5715(.693147) = -1.40242 \n" ); document.write( ": \n" ); document.write( "Get rid of the denominator and the negatives, mult equation by -5715 \n" ); document.write( ".693147t = -1.40242*-5715 \n" ); document.write( ".693147t = + 8014.85 \n" ); document.write( "t = 8014.85/.693147 \n" ); document.write( "t = 11,563 years \n" ); document.write( ": \n" ); document.write( "you can check this on a good calc; Enter 2^(-11563/5715) = .2459996 \n" ); document.write( ": \n" ); document.write( "make sense to you? any questions?\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " |