Problema Solution
A scientist determined that the bones from a mastodon had lost
56.656.6%
of their carbon-14. How old were the bones at the time they were discovered?
Answer provided by our tutors
We will use the exponential decay model for carbon-14:
A=Ao e^-0.000121t
A = Ao(1 - 0.566566)
A = 0.433434Ao
Ao e^-0.000121t = 0.433434Ao divide both sides by Ao
e^-0.000121t = 0.433434
-0.000121t = ln(0.433434)
t = (-1/0.000121)ln(0.433434)
t = 6909.2 years
The bones were 6909.2 years old.