An artifact is discovered at a certain site. If it has 78% of the carbon-14 it originally contained, what is the approximate age of the artifact to the nearest year? Carbon-14 decays at the rate of 0.0125% annually. Round to
The nearest year, if necessary.
A) 6240 years
B) 1760 years
C) 863 years
D) 1988 years

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The decay rate of carbon-14 is 0.0125% annually. Using the formula for exponential decay, we can calculate the age: 0.78 = e^(-0.000125 * t). Solving for t gives approximately 1988 years.

An Artifact Is Discovered at a Certain Site