A piece of wood from the ruins of an ancient

Question:

A piece of wood from the ruins of an ancient building was found to have a C14 activity of 12 disintegrations per minute per gram of its carbon content. The 14C

activity of the living wood is 16 disintegrations per minute per gram. How long ago did the tree, from which the wooden sample came, die? Given the half-life of

C14 is 5760 years.

Solution:

C14 activity of a piece of wood from the ruins is R = 12 dis/min per gram

C14 activity of a living wood = Ro = 16 dis/min per gram

Half-life of C14 = 5760 years

Using radioactive law,

R = Roe-λt

t = 2391.20 year

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