Chapter SH, Problem 20.10APP

To determine

To calculate: Age of a sample of carbon-14.

Answer to Problem 20.10APP

Age of the sample of carbon-14 is 1432.5 years.

Explanation of Solution

Given:

Half-life of carbon-14 = $5730\text{ years}$

The sample has decayed to $\text{12}\text{.50\%}$ of its original amount.

Calculation:

The sample decays to $\text{50\%}$ of its original amount in $5730\text{ years}$

Therefore, the sample decays to $\text{12}\text{.50\%}$ of its original amount in $\frac{5730}{50}\times \text{12}\text{.5 = 1432}\text{.5 years}$

Conclusion:

Age of the sample of carbon-14 is 1432.5 years.