Carbon dating determines the approximate age of an object made from materials that wereonce alive by measuring the remaining percentage of a radioactive isotope, carbon-14. The age is calculated Using the formula $A = - \frac { \ln P } { 0.000121 }$ where P is the percentage of remaining carbon-14 (in decimal form). The Shroud of Turin was Found to have 92.5% of its carbon-14 remaining in the 1980's. How old was it at the time? Round To the nearest year.
A) About 1976 years
B) About 300 years
C) About 644 years
D) About 1105 years

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To find the age of the Shroud of Turin, we use the given formula $A = - \frac { \ln P } { 0.000121 }$ with $P = 0.925$. Plugging in the values, we get $A = - \frac { \ln 0.925 } { 0.000121 }$. Calculating this gives an age of approximately 644 years, rounding to the nearest year.

Carbon Dating Determines the Approximate Age of an Object Made A=−ln⁡P0.000121A = - \frac { \ln P } { 0.000121 }A=−0.000121lnP​

Carbon Dating Determines the Approximate Age of an Object Made $A = - \frac { \ln P } { 0.000121 }$