Story Problem · Episode 8

The Carbon Clock: Reading Time from What Remains

Ten problems that begin with simple half-life calculations, then use exponential decay and logarithms to estimate the ages of real materials and understand the limits of carbon-14 dating.

Start with repeated halving. When the fraction does not land exactly on a half-life, use a logarithm to find the number of half-lives, then multiply by 5,730 years.
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These problems make more sense after you hear how carbon-14, half-life, and logarithms allow scientists to estimate the age of material that was once alive.

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