A mummy is discovered that has only one-fourth of its original carbon-14 remaining. How old is the mummy,

in years? Explain your reasoning.

A mummy is discovered that has only one-fourth of its original carbon-14 remaining. How old is the mummy in years is Explained below

Explanation:

The original C14 content is represented by variable C. Think in terms of half-lives: after 1 half life, you've got half the original carbon-14 (0.5C). After another half-life, you'll have half of what you started that half-life with (.25C). So a mummy with 1/4 of its original C-14 is 2 half-lives old. Different textbooks might calculate the C14 half-life a little differently depending on publication date, but the current standard is 5,730 years. So your mummy is 11,460 years old, + / - your error margin and depending on the calibrations your lab uses. After 1 half-life, 12 of the C-14 would remain. After 2 half-life, 12 of the 12 of the C-14 = 14 of the C-14 would remain. After 3 half-life, 12 of the 14 of the C-14 = 18 of the C-14 would remain. The half-life of a radioactive isotope describes the amount of time that it takes half of the isotope in a sample to decay. In the case of radiocarbon dating, the half-life of carbon 14 is 5,730 years. Radiocarbon dating involves determining the age of an ancient fossil or specimen by measuring its carbon-14 content ... Green plants absorb the carbon dioxide, so the population of carbon-14 molecules is continually replenished until the plant dies. Carbon-14 is also passed onto the animals that eat those plants.