Calculating the Age of a Body Using Carbon-14 Dating

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SUMMARY

The age of a body found in a glacier in the Alps was calculated using Carbon-14 dating, revealing that the carbon-14 ratio was 52.7% of its original amount. The formula used for this calculation is t = [ ln (Nf/No) / (-0.693) ] x t1/2, where Nf/No represents the percentage of carbon-14 remaining, and t1/2 is the half-life of carbon-14, which is 5,700 years. This method provides a definitive means of determining the age of organic materials based on their carbon-14 content.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Carbon-14 dating principles
  • Familiarity with logarithmic functions
  • Knowledge of half-life concepts in radiometric dating
  • Basic mathematical skills for applying the dating formula
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the application of Carbon-14 dating in archaeology
  • Learn about the limitations and accuracy of Carbon-14 dating
  • Explore alternative radiometric dating methods
  • Study the impact of environmental factors on Carbon-14 levels
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Archaeologists, paleontologists, and researchers in fields requiring age determination of organic materials will benefit from this discussion.

salsabel
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In 1991, hikers found the frozen remains of a man in a glacier in the Alps, near the Austrian-Italian border. Carbon-14 analysis of tissue samples taken from the body revealed that the ratio of carbon-14 was 52.7% of what it was originally. Calculate the age of the body.

A formula to calculate how old a sample is by carbon-14 dating is:
t = [ ln (Nf/No) / (-0.693) ] x t1/2
where ln is the natural logarithm,
Nf/No is the percent of carbon-14 in the sample compared to the amount in living tissue
t1/2 is the half-life of carbon-14 (5,700 years).

Is that right?
 
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Certainly looks it.
 

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