SOLUTION: 3.An anthropologist finds bone that her instruments measure it as 0.824% of the amount of Carbon-14 the bones would have contained when the person was alive. How long ago did the

Algebra ->  Exponential-and-logarithmic-functions -> SOLUTION: 3.An anthropologist finds bone that her instruments measure it as 0.824% of the amount of Carbon-14 the bones would have contained when the person was alive. How long ago did the       Log On


   



Question 1002176: 3.An anthropologist finds bone that her instruments measure it as 0.824% of the amount of Carbon-14 the bones would have contained when the person was alive. How long ago did the person die?
The half life of carbon 14 is 5,730 years. Round your answer to the nearest thousand.

Answer by fractalier(6550) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
For a half-life problem, the amount remaining at some time t is A(t).
A%28t%29=Ao%281%2F2%29%5E%28t%2F5730%29
In your problem, you are given the ratio of A(t)/Ao.
Thus
.00824=(1/2)^(t/5730)
log(.00824) = (t/5730)log(1/2)
so that
t = 5730(log(.00824)/log(.5)) = 39670 years or 40,000 years old