If the standard deviation of a radiocarbon date is given as 50 years,the probability that the organism died within 50 years of the radiocarbon date is:
A)50 percent
B)67 percent
C)95 percent
D)100 percent

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The standard deviation in the context of radiocarbon dating (or any normally distributed data) represents the range within which approximately 68% (or roughly 67%) of the data points lie from the mean. Therefore, if the standard deviation is 50 years, it means there's about a 67% chance that the actual age of the organism falls within 50 years of the given radiocarbon date.

If the Standard Deviation of a Radiocarbon Date Is Given