Anthropologists can estimate the age of a bone or other sample of organic matter by its carbon-14 content. The carbon-14 in a living organism is constant until the organism dies, after which carbon-14 decays with first-order kinetics and a half-life of 5730 years. Suppose a bone from an ancient human contains 18.5 % of the C-14 found in living organisms.

Chemistry: The Molecular Science
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Chapter18: Nuclear Chemistry
Section18.4: Rates Of Disintegration Reactions
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Anthropologists can estimate the age of a bone or other sample of organic matter by its carbon-14 content. The
carbon-14 in a living organism is constant until the organism dies, after which carbon-14 decays with first-order
kinetics and a half-life of 5730 years. Suppose a bone from an ancient human contains 18.5% of the C-14
found in living organisms.
Transcribed Image Text:Anthropologists can estimate the age of a bone or other sample of organic matter by its carbon-14 content. The carbon-14 in a living organism is constant until the organism dies, after which carbon-14 decays with first-order kinetics and a half-life of 5730 years. Suppose a bone from an ancient human contains 18.5% of the C-14 found in living organisms.
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