Question

Most problems are not so simple. To solve more general carbon-dating problems, you must first find the value of the decay constant for 14C, so that you can easily use the decay equation.

Using the given half-life, 5730 years, find the value of the decay constant for 14C.

Answer 1

Half-life = 1.21x10⁻⁴ years⁻¹

Step-by-step explanation:

The kinetics decay of ¹⁴C follows the first order reaction. That means half-life of ¹⁴C is defined as:

Half-life = ln 2 / K

Where K is decay constant.

As decay constant of ¹⁴C is 5730 years, half-life is:

Half-life = ln 2 / 5730 years

Half-life = 1.21x10⁻⁴ years⁻¹