The radioactive element carbon-14 has a half-life of 5750 years. The percentage of carbon-14 present in the remains of plants and animals can be used to determine age. How old is a skeleton that has lost 50% of its carbon-14?

Question

Rex Mckee

Mathematics

8 May, 02:57

The radioactive element carbon-14 has a half-life of 5750 years. The percentage of carbon-14 present in the remains of plants and animals can be used to determine age. How old is a skeleton that has lost 50% of its carbon-14?

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Answers (1)

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Giovanna Castillo · Answer 1

A skeleton that has lost 50% of its carbon-14 is 5750 years old.

Step-by-step explanation:

The halflife on an element is the amount it takes to decrease to half it's original amount, that is, when the amount is 50% of the initial amount.

How old is a skeleton that has lost 50% of its carbon-14?

If the skeleton lost 50% of its carbon-14 it has the other 50%, that is, it is in it's half-life.

The radioactive element carbon-14 has a half-life of 5750 years.

This means that a skeleton that has lost 50% of its carbon-14 is 5750 years old.