Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5730 years. How long will it take 11.5 grams of carbon-14 to be reduced to 6.5 grams? Round to the nearest year.
A) 2,048 years
B) 10,860 years
C) 4,716 years
D) 6,885 years

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The amount of carbon-14 is halved every 5730 years. To find how long it takes for 11.5 grams to reduce to 6.5 grams, we can use the half-life formula or understand that since it hasn't halved completely (to 5.75 grams), it will be less than one half-life of 5730 years. The exact calculation involves logarithms, but since the question asks for a choice and a rough estimate, knowing it's less than 5730 years leads to option C, 4,716 years, as the closest and most reasonable answer without doing the precise math.

Carbon-14 Has a Half-Life of 5730 Years