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17 April, 04:52

A rock contains 12.5% of its orignal K40 (half life = 704 million years). How old is the rock?

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  1. 17 April, 05:15
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    Half-life is the time needed for a radioactive material to decay 50% of its original mass. In this question, the rock K-40 left is 12.5% of its original weight. Then, the calculation to find the rock age should be:

    final mass = (1/2) ^ (age/half life) * original mass

    12.5% original mass = (1/2) ^ (age/704 years) * original mass

    1/8 = (1/2) ^ (age/704 years)

    (1/2) ^3 = (1/2) ^ (age/704 years)

    (age/704 years) = 3

    age = 3 * 704 years = 2112 years
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