SOLUTION: An anthropologist finds bone that her instruments measure it as 0.364% of the amount of Carbon-14 the bones would have contained when the person was alive. How long ago did the pe

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Question 982035: An anthropologist finds bone that her instruments measure it as 0.364% 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 josgarithmetic(39620) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
100% of C-14 content, t years ago
0.364% of C-14 content, today

y=ne%5E%28-kt%29
y, percent of original content after time t
n, original content at start
k, a constant depending on how the decay behaves
t, time since n
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Goal is solve for t according to problem description.


ln%28y%29=ln%28n%29-kt
ln%28y%29-ln%28n%29=-kt
kt=ln%28n%29-ln%28y%29
k=%281%2Ft%29%28ln%28n%2Fy%29%29-------You will use this;
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also,
t=%281%2Fk%29ln%28n%2Fy%29-------and you will use this.


The half-life information gives k=ln%282%29%2F5730=0.000121