Chapter 18: Problem 39

The half-life of carbon-14 is 5715 y. How long will it be until only half of the carbon-14 in a sample remains?

Short Answer

Expert verified

It will take 5715 years for only half of the carbon-14 in a sample to remain.

Step by step solution

Understand the concept of half-life

Half-life is defined as the time it takes for half of a given quantity of a substance to decay or transform. In nuclear reactions, it is the time it takes for half of the radioactive atoms in a sample to decay into its daughter isotopes. In this case, the half-life of carbon-14 is given as 5715 years.

Understand the question

The question is asking for the time it will take until only half of the carbon-14 in a sample remains. This is essentially the definition of half-life. It's asking how long it will take for half of the carbon-14 atoms in a sample to decay.

Apply the concept of half-life to the question

Since the half-life of carbon-14 is 5715 years, it means that it would take 5715 years for half of the carbon-14 atoms in any given sample to decay. Therefore, to answer the question, you need to understand that the time it takes for half of the carbon-14 in a sample to remain (or decay) is the half-life, which is given as 5715 years.

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The half-life of carbon-14 is 5715 y. How long will it be until only half of the carbon-14 in a sample remains?

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Understand the concept of half-life

Understand the question

Apply the concept of half-life to the question

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