A living plant contains approximately the same fraction of carbon-14 as in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Assuming that the observed rate of decay of carbon-14 from a living plant is 13.6 counts per minute per gram of carbon, how many counts per minute per gram of carbon will be measured from a 15,000 year old sample? Will radiocarbon dating work well for small samples of 10 mg or less?

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Chapter19: The Nucleus: A Chemist's View
Section: Chapter Questions
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A living plant contains approximately the same fraction of carbon-14 as in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Assuming that the observed rate of decay of carbon-14 from a living plant is 13.6 counts per minute per gram of carbon, how many counts per minute per gram of carbon will be measured from a 15,000 year old sample? Will radiocarbon dating work well for small samples of 10 mg or less?

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