C14 dating?

Question

In carbon dating, I learned that it breaks down half of its original isotope mass in a certain amount of years. If say, I started with 100g of c14, after that certain amount of years, i would have 50g at its half life, why is it, then, that it takes the same amount of time to break down the first 50g of c14 in its first half-life as it takes to break down the 25g in its second half-life?

Answer 1

Well, I think the thing you have to consider is you don't have 100g of C14.

You basically are given a sample of carbon that "contains C14", By measuring how much still is in the sample scientist can give a "rough" estimate to the age of the sample.

For a technical discussion see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio-carbon_dating

Answer 2

A particular C14 atom has a fifty-fifty chance of breaking down in the next 5600 years. So if you start off with a million C14 atoms, then after 5600 years you'll have half a million left. After another 5600 years half of these will break down, so you'll have a quarter of a million left, after yet another 5600 years you'll have 125000 left, and so on.

Answer 3

So, whether you recognize the a million/2 existence of Potassium, how do you recognize that interior the a million.28 billion years of its existence no longer something has occurred to regulate the flexibility, concentration, and existence of the substance being examined? no longer each and every little bit of of Potassium interior the international is on the comparable power. otherwise none could exist anymore if the international is 4.5 billion years old. So how do you recognize the preliminary power of the Potassium you're finding out? you recognize what it extremely is now, even though it no longer attainable to this factor its beginning from its contemporary power. Sorry, yet there are only too many variables to be waiting to p.c.. up only slightly rock, examine its radioactivity, and then declare as a scientific actuality that the rock is XX variety of years old.