Scientists often use a process called carbon dating to estimate the age of archaeological finds. The process measures the amount of carbon-14, a radioactive isotope with a half-life of 5,730 years. If a Sample of wood from an ancient artifact had 12 grams of carbon-14 initially, the amount remaining, in Grams, is given by $A ( t ) = 12 \left( \frac { 1 } { 2 } \right) ^ { t / 5,730 }$ where t is the number of years since the tree died. How many grams would be present after 5,730 Years?
A) 3 g
B) 24 g
C) 0.27 g
D) 6 g

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

After 5,730 years, one half-life of carbon-14 has passed, so half of the initial 12 grams would remain, which is 6 grams.

Scientists Often Use a Process Called Carbon Dating to Estimate A(t)=12(12)t/5,730A ( t ) = 12 \left( \frac { 1 } { 2 } \right) ^ { t / 5,730 }A(t)=12(21​)t/5,730

Scientists Often Use a Process Called Carbon Dating to Estimate $A ( t ) = 12 \left( \frac { 1 } { 2 } \right) ^ { t / 5,730 }$