Carbon 14 Dating

What are the three steps that carbon-14 undergoes?

1. Creation- carbon-14 is produced in the atmosphere 2. Absorption- plants take it in through photosynthesis; animals then take it in through the plants 3. Depletion- animal dies, the carbon-14 continues to break down into nitrogen-14 and escapes, while no new carbon-14 is added, scientists can determine how long ago the animal died by comparing the surviving amount of carbon-14 to the original amount

What is beta decay?

A neutron breaks down to a proton and an electron, and the electron is ejected (called beta particles and make up beta radiation)

How do you measure the rate of decay?

A suitable detector records the number of beta particles ejected from a quantity of carbon over a period of time. since each beta particle represents one decayed carbon-14 atom, we know how many carbon-14 atoms decay during that time

What is Carbon-14 dating?

A system used to date things that contain the element carbon and were once alive (like fossils)

How do you use radiocarbon for dating?

After plants and animals perish, they no longer replace molecules damaged by radiocarbon decay. The ratio of carbon-14 atoms to regular carbon atoms will steadily decrease over time.

How do we determine the rate of radiocarbon decay?

After radiocarbon forms, the nuclei of carbon-14 atoms are unstable. over time, they decay to nitrogen-14

Why is carbon-14 dating to prove evolution not accurate?

Because it breaks down quickly, carbon-14 is useful for dating creatures that died in the past few thousand years, not millions of years ago.

Specifically, how does radiocarbon (carbon-14) form?

Cosmic rays from outer space are continually bombarding the upper atmosphere, producing fast-moving neutrons that collide with atoms of nitrogen-14, the most abundant element in the atmosphere, converting them into radiocarbon

What is the difference between radioactive and regular carbon dioxide?

Normal carbon dioxide is lighter. radioactive and nonradioactive CO2 mix in the atmosphere and dissolve into oceans

How does radiocarbon form?

Radiocarbon forms continually today in the earth's upper atmosphere

How does radiocarbon prove the Bible?

The half-life of carbon-14 is only thousands of years old, not millions.

How is this principle similar to an hourglass?

The sand grains that originally filled the top bowl represent the number of carbon-14 atoms in an animal just before it died. With time those sand grains fall to the bottom, so the new number is the number of carbon-14 atoms left. The difference between the two is the radiocarbon decay rate.

What is the half life?

The standard way of expressing the decay rate. the time it takes half a given quantity of a radioactive element to decay. radiocarbon's is 5,730 years

How does radiocarbon enter the food chain?

Through photosynthesis carbon dioxide enters plants which then enters animals which then enters humans. therefore humans contain trace amounts of radiocarbon

How is carbon dioxide formed?

When radiocarbon atoms combine with oxygen atoms in the atmosphere