Another form of radiometric dating is potassium-argon dating, which tracks the ratio of Ar-40 to K-40 in a sample of volcanic rock. When molten, the rock releases any Ar-40 to the atmosphere. Once the rock cools, the K-40 decays into Ar-40, which is trapped in the rock. Thus, any Ar-40 present must be the product of nuclear decay of K40, which has a half-life of 1.250 × 109 years. Calculate the fraction of K-40 that will remain in a rock sample after 10 million years (1.0x107 years).

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Another form of radiometric dating is potassium-argon dating, which tracks the ratio of Ar-40 to K-40 in a sample of volcanic rock. When molten, the rock releases any Ar-40 to the atmosphere. Once the rock cools, the K-40 decays into Ar-40, which is trapped in the rock. Thus, any Ar-40 present must be the product of nuclear decay of K40, which has a half-life of 1.250 × 109 years. Calculate the fraction of K-40 that will remain in a rock sample after 10 million years (1.0x107 years).

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