At a flea market, you've found a very interesting painting done in the style of Rembrandt's "dark period" (1642-1672). You suspect that you really do not have a genuine Rembrandt, but you take it to the local university for testing. Living wood shows a carbon- 14 activity of 15.3 counts per minute per gram. Your painting showed a carbon- 14 activity of 15.1 counts per minute per gram. Could it be a genuine Rembrandt?

The carbon-14 activity of living wood is 15.3 counts per minute per gram.

The carbon-14 activity of the painting is 15.1 counts per minute per gram. #Step 2: Compare the carbon-14 activity values#

Now let's calculate the difference in carbon-14 activity between the living wood and the painting: Difference = Carbon-14 activity of living wood - Carbon-14 activity of the painting Difference = 15.3 - 15.1 = 0.2 counts per minute per gram #Step 3: Discuss the possibility of the painting being a genuine Rembrandt#

The difference in carbon-14 activity between the living wood and the painting is 0.2 counts per minute per gram. This difference is very small, which indicates that the wood from the painting might have virtually the same carbon-14 activity as the living wood. However, we also know that carbon-14 activity decreases over time. Considering that Rembrandt's "dark period" happened several centuries ago, we would expect a more significant difference in carbon-14 activity levels between the living wood and the painting if it were a genuine Rembrandt. Given the very small difference in carbon-14 activity levels, it is unlikely that the painting is a genuine Rembrandt from the "dark period" (1642-1672), as we would expect a more substantial change in carbon-14 activity between the living wood and the wood from a painting of that age.