SOLUTION: Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5710 years. What is the age of a piece of wood if 32% of the carbon in the piece of wood is left?

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Question 802244: Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5710 years. What is the age of a piece of wood if 32% of the carbon in the piece of wood is left?
Answer by ankor@dixie-net.com(22740) About Me  (Show Source):
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Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5710 years.
What is the age of a piece of wood if 32% of the carbon in the piece of wood is left?
:
Using the equation for radioactive decay:
A = Ao*2^(-t/h), where:
A = Amt after t time
Ao = Initial amt (t=0)
t = decay time
h = half-life of substance
:
Let initial amt = 1
1*2(-t/5710) = .32
use natural logs
-t%2F5710ln(2) = ln(.32)
-t%2F5710 = ln%28.32%29%2Fln%282%29
-t%2F5710 = -1.644t = -1.644*-5710
t = 9,387 yrs age of the wood