Question

g Imagine that you found a piece of carved wood that has been embedded in glacial ice. The mass of the wood is 50 grams, and 30% of the mass is carbon. The 14C/12C ratio of the wood was measured by mass spectrometry, and found to be 20 % of the 14C/12C ratio found in CO2 in modern air. You may assume that the half life of 14C is 5700 years. Which is the best estimate of the age of the wood

Answer 1

Answer:

13414 years

Explanation:

From;

0.693/ t1/2 = 2.303/t log No/N

t1/2 = half life of  C-14

t = age of the sample

No= initial amount of C-14

N = present amount of C-14

From the question, N = 0.2 No

Hence;

0.693/5700 = 2.303/t log No/0.2No

1.2 * 10^-4 = 2.303/t log 1/0.2

1.2 * 10^-4 = 1.6097/t

t = 1.6097/1.2 * 10^-4

t = 13414 years