Radiocarbon Dating
Radiocarbon dating is a scientific method used to determine the age of ancient organic materials, such as wood or bones. It measures the amount of carbon-14, a radioactive isotope present in living organisms. When an organism dies, it stops taking in carbon-14, which then begins to decay at a known rate. By measuring the remaining carbon-14 in a sample, scientists can calculate how long it has been since the organism died, typically up to about 50,000 years ago. This technique is widely used in archaeology and geology to date historical artifacts and fossils.
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Radiocarbon dating is a scientific method used to determine the age of organic materials, like wood or bones, up to about 50,000 years old. It works by measuring the amount of carbon-14, a radioactive isotope, in a sample. Living organisms absorb carbon during their lifetime, but when they die, they stop taking it in, and the carbon-14 begins to decay at a known rate. By analyzing the remaining carbon-14, scientists can calculate how long it has been since the organism died, providing an estimated age for archaeological findings and ancient artifacts.
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Radiocarbon dating is a scientific method used to determine the age of organic materials, such as wood or bones, by measuring the amount of carbon-14 they contain. Carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope formed in the atmosphere and absorbed by living organisms. When an organism dies, it stops taking in carbon-14, and the isotope begins to decay at a known rate. By comparing the remaining carbon-14 to the original levels, scientists can calculate how long it has been since the organism died, providing an estimated age up to about 50,000 years. This technique is widely used in archaeology and geology.