Question

1. a piece of wood found in an ancient burial mound contains only half as much carbon - 14 as a piece of wood cut from a living tree growing nearby. if the half - life for carbon - 14 is 5730 years, what is the approximate age of the ancient wood?

a. 730 years
b. 1460 years
c. 2856 years
d. 5730 years

Explanation:

Step1: Recall carbon - 14 dating concept

The amount of carbon - 14 in a sample decays exponentially. If a sample has half as much carbon - 14 as a living sample, it has gone through one half - life.

Step2: Identify half - life value

The half - life of carbon - 14 is given as 5730 years. When the amount of carbon - 14 in a sample is half of that in a living sample, the age of the sample is equal to the half - life of carbon - 14.

Answer:

d. 5730 years