Which statements about carbon-14 dating are true? Check all that apply.Carbon-14 decays into nitrogen-14.Carbon-14 has a longer half-life than potassium-40.Once a living thing dies, it no longer takes in carbon.Carbon-14 dating is used to date very old volcanic rock.Carbon-14 dating works for fossils as old as 50,000 years.
Answer
A
Carbon-14 decays into nitrogen-14.
B
Carbon-14 has a longer half-life than potassium-40.
C
Once a living thing dies, it no longer takes in carbon.
D
Carbon-14 dating is used to date very old volcanic rock.
E
Carbon-14 dating works for fossils as old as 50,000 years.
Explanation
Carbon-14 decays into nitrogen-14, so statement A is true. When an organism dies, it stops taking in carbon; the carbon-14 already in it continues to decay, making C true. Carbon-14 dating can date once-living material up to about 50,000 years old, so E is true. The other statements are false: carbon-14’s half-life is much shorter than potassium-40’s, and very old volcanic rock is generally dated using other radioactive isotopes.
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