13
QuizMultiple Choice

Half-Life — Quiz

Question 13 • Chemistry

Which statement is true about radiocarbon dating?

Answer
A
The half-life of C-14 is 5 comma 730 years.
B
After it dies, an organism’s body continues to intake C-14 .
C
Radiocarbon dating is useful for dating objects up to 100 comma 000 years old.
D
Radiocarbon dating assumes that half-life for radioisotopes change over time.

Explanation

Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5,730 years, meaning half of the C-14 in a sample decays in that time. Radiocarbon dating assumes the decay rate is constant, and organisms stop taking in carbon after they die. It is generally useful for dating remains up to about 50,000 years old, so the 100,000-year claim is not correct.

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.

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