QUESTION
One method for determining the age of ancient objects is by radiocarbon dating. Natural processes convert nitrogen to Carbon-14, a radioactive isotope with a half-life of 5730 years. When they are alive, animals assimilate Carbon-14 through the food chain. When an animal dies, it stops replacing its carbon and the amount of Carbon-14 decays exponentially.
(a) Suppose the minimum detectable amount is 0.1% of the initial amount. What is the maximum age of a fossil that we could date using Carbon-14?
(b) Suppose we wanted to date a fossil that was potentially 70 million years old. A radioactive isotope with what half-life would be required?
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