I have no clue where to start with this problem. The cloth shroud from around a mummy is found to have a14C activity of 9.7 disintegrations per minute per gramof carbon as compared with living organisms that undergo 16.3disintegrations per minute per gram of carbon. From the half-lifefor 14C decay, 5715yr, calculate the age of theshroud. I have no clue where to start with this problem. The cloth shroud from around a mummy is found to have a14C activity of 9.7 disintegrations per minute per gramof carbon as compared with living organisms that undergo 16.3disintegrations per minute per gram of carbon. From the half-lifefor 14C decay, 5715yr, calculate the age of theshroud.
Explanation / Answer
Theradio active decay is a first order reaction . rate constant K = (2.303 / t ) log No /Nt given , t1/2 = 5715 yr K = (0.693 / t1/2 ) yr -1 =(0.693 / 5715 ) yr -1 t =( 2.303 / K ) log No /Nt = (2.303 * 5715 / 0.693 ) log 16.3 / 9.7 = 4281. 1 years . The shroud does not cross its half life.