A wooden artifact and a freshly cut tree possess Carbon-14 activities of and respectively. Given tha — Nuclear Chemistry and Radioactivity Chemistry Question
Question
A wooden artifact and a freshly cut tree possess Carbon-14 activities of $7.6\text{ min}^{-1}\text{g}^{-1}$ and $15.2\text{ min}^{-1}\text{g}^{-1}$ respectively. Given that the half-life of Carbon-14 is $5760\text{ years}$, what is the approximate age of the ancient artifact?
Answer: B
💡 Solution & Explanation
The activity of the artifact ($7.6$) is exactly half of the fresh wood ($15.2$). Because the activity has reduced to $1/2$ of its original steady-state value, exactly one half-life has passed. The artifact's age is $5760\text{ years}$.
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