What is the half-life of Carbon-14?

What is the half-life of Carbon-14?

• A. 12.3 years
• B. 14.3 days
• C. 5,700 years
• D. 60 days

Answer: (C)

Carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope used extensively in radiocarbon dating, a method for determining the age of ancient organic materials. The half-life of Carbon-14 is approximately 5,700 years, which means that after 5,700 years, half of a sample of Carbon-14 will have decayed into nitrogen-14 through radioactive decay. This lengthy half-life makes Carbon-14 particularly useful for dating artifacts and fossils that are thousands to tens of thousands of years old, as it allows for the measurement of age over a significant timescale. The other options listed significantly underestimate the half-life of Carbon-14. For instance, a half-life of 12.3 years or 14.3 days would not provide a sufficient timeframe for accurately dating ancient samples, which can range from a few hundred to several thousand years old. Similarly, a half-life of 60 days is far too short for applications in radiocarbon dating, where the materials in question are often much older than that. Understanding the properties of Carbon-14 and the significance of its half-life is crucial for studies in archaeology, geology, and environmental science.

Carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope used extensively in radiocarbon dating, a method for determining the age of ancient organic materials. The half-life of Carbon-14 is approximately 5,700 years, which means that after 5,700 years, half of a sample of Carbon-14 will have decayed into nitrogen-14 through radioactive decay. This lengthy half-life makes Carbon-14 particularly useful for dating artifacts and fossils that are thousands to tens of thousands of years old, as it allows for the measurement of age over a significant timescale.

The other options listed significantly underestimate the half-life of Carbon-14. For instance, a half-life of 12.3 years or 14.3 days would not provide a sufficient timeframe for accurately dating ancient samples, which can range from a few hundred to several thousand years old. Similarly, a half-life of 60 days is far too short for applications in radiocarbon dating, where the materials in question are often much older than that. Understanding the properties of Carbon-14 and the significance of its half-life is crucial for studies in archaeology, geology, and environmental science.