We know that we use carbon-14 for radiometric dating of any fossil or old substance containing carbon
. The choice of Carbon-14 for dating purpose is due to its radioactive nature
So after a certain time period the amount of C-14 decreases from a body after death and by measuring the amount of Carbon 14 remained in a body we can assess the age of that particular body
A living organism continuously exchange Carbon -14 from atmosphere and this stops after death.
Living things like animals and plants have a known proportion of carbon-14 in their tissues. Carbon-14 is one of the radioisotopes of carbon.
When they die, they stop taking carbon in, then the amount of carbon-14 decreases at a known rate.
The age of ancient organic materials can be obtained by measuring the amount of carbon-14 that remains. This activity is what we call radioactive dating.
Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5,700 years.
It can be concluded that the element of carbon-14 is most important to scientists doing radiometric dating.
<u>Uses of radioactivity
</u>
Radiography. A picture can be obtained on film with the help of radioactivity emissions. This is known in medicine as a roentgen film. X-rays are used which are produced by electronic devices.
Sterilizing. Gamma rays can be used to kill bacteria, mold, and insects in food even after it has been packaged.
PET or Positron Emission Tomography is a technique that uses an isotope of carbon, especially carbon-11, as the radioactive tracer to measure the changes in blood flow within the brain.
Radioactive tracers. The most common tracer is technetium-99 and is very safe because it only emits gamma rays and doesn't cause much ionization. A small amount of iodine-123 can be used for medical checkings, like checking for a blocked kidney.
Radiotherapy as a treatment for cancerous and tumors. Tracers like cobalt-60, technetium-99, iodine-131, and phosphor-32 are used to detect, locate, and diagnose tumors and treat cancers.
Keywords: element is most important, radiometric dating, nitrogen, carbon-11, carbon-14, hydrogen, treatment for cancerous, tumors, radiography, half-life, radiotherapy, the age, living things, animals and plants
