Recap - Carbon Dating
Part of the Optics, Waves and Modern Physics section of Coddy's Physics journey. Lesson 49 of 53.
Challenge
A gram of living wood has a carbon-14 activity of 0.25 Bq; a gram of wood from an old boat has 0.1 Bq. Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5730 years. First find the decay constant λ and how many carbon-14 nuclei N₀ a gram of living wood holds, then the age t of the boat, in years.
Try it yourself
All lessons in Optics, Waves and Modern Physics
1Reflection and Refraction
Reflection of LightThe Refractive IndexSnell's LawTotal Internal ReflectionDispersionApparent DepthRecap - Optical Fiber4Mechanical Waves
What a Wave IsTwo Graphs of a WaveWhen Pulses MeetInterferenceStanding WavesHarmonicsRecap - Guitar String3Thin Lenses
Lenses and Their RaysThe Lens EquationVirtual ImagesTwo LensesA Lens and a MirrorRecap - Build a Projector6Light as a Wave
Light Through Two SlitsFringes on a ScreenDiffraction by One SlitThe Diffraction GratingRecap - Measure with a CD9The Nucleus
Inside the NucleusRadioactive DecayHalf-LifeActivityRadioactive DatingRecap - Carbon Dating