The half life for the decay of carbon-14 is 5.73 × 10³ years. Suppose the activity due to the radioactive decay of the carbon-14 in a tiny sample of an artifact made of wood from an archeological dig is measured to be 1.1 × 10³ Bq. The activity in a similar-sized sample of fresh wood is measured to be 1.4× 10³ Bq. Calculate the age of the artifact. Round your answer to 2 significant digits. years ☐ x10 X

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### Understanding Carbon-14 Dating

**The Problem:**

The half-life for the decay of carbon-14 is \(5.73 \times 10^3\) years.

Suppose the activity due to the radioactive decay of the carbon-14 in a tiny sample of an artifact made of wood from an archeological dig is measured to be \(1.1 \times 10^3\) Bq. The activity in a similar-sized sample of fresh wood is measured to be \(1.4 \times 10^3\) Bq. Calculate the age of the artifact. Round your answer to 2 significant digits.

\[ \text{Box for input: } [ \text{years} ] \]

**Detailed Explanation:**

The question involves determining the age of an artifact using carbon-14 dating. This technique is based on the principle of radioactive decay, where the half-life of carbon-14 is used to estimate the time since the death of an organism (in this case, the wood used to create the artifact). 

To solve this, you can use the formula for radioactive decay:

\[ N = N_0 \left(\frac{1}{2}\right)^{\frac{t}{t_{1/2}}} \]

Where:
- \( N \) is the current activity (1.1 x 10\(^3\) Bq).
- \( N_0 \) is the initial activity (1.4 x 10\(^3\) Bq).
- \( t \) is the time elapsed since the death of the organism.
- \( t_{1/2} \) is the half-life of carbon-14 (5.73 x 10\(^3\) years).

**Steps:**
1. Determine the ratio of activities: \( \frac{N}{N_0} = \frac{1.1 \times 10^3}{1.4 \times 10^3} \).
2. Calculate \( t \) using the formula above.

This method helps archaeologists estimate the age of artifacts and contributes significantly to our understanding of ancient civilizations and historical timelines.
Transcribed Image Text:### Understanding Carbon-14 Dating **The Problem:** The half-life for the decay of carbon-14 is \(5.73 \times 10^3\) years. Suppose the activity due to the radioactive decay of the carbon-14 in a tiny sample of an artifact made of wood from an archeological dig is measured to be \(1.1 \times 10^3\) Bq. The activity in a similar-sized sample of fresh wood is measured to be \(1.4 \times 10^3\) Bq. Calculate the age of the artifact. Round your answer to 2 significant digits. \[ \text{Box for input: } [ \text{years} ] \] **Detailed Explanation:** The question involves determining the age of an artifact using carbon-14 dating. This technique is based on the principle of radioactive decay, where the half-life of carbon-14 is used to estimate the time since the death of an organism (in this case, the wood used to create the artifact). To solve this, you can use the formula for radioactive decay: \[ N = N_0 \left(\frac{1}{2}\right)^{\frac{t}{t_{1/2}}} \] Where: - \( N \) is the current activity (1.1 x 10\(^3\) Bq). - \( N_0 \) is the initial activity (1.4 x 10\(^3\) Bq). - \( t \) is the time elapsed since the death of the organism. - \( t_{1/2} \) is the half-life of carbon-14 (5.73 x 10\(^3\) years). **Steps:** 1. Determine the ratio of activities: \( \frac{N}{N_0} = \frac{1.1 \times 10^3}{1.4 \times 10^3} \). 2. Calculate \( t \) using the formula above. This method helps archaeologists estimate the age of artifacts and contributes significantly to our understanding of ancient civilizations and historical timelines.
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