Carbon-14 dating method is based on the fact that

Carbon-14 dating method is based on the fact that

Carbon-14 dating method is based on the fact that

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Carbon- 14 dating method is based on the fact that: (A) Carbon- 14 fraction is same in all objects(B) Carbon- 14 is highly insoluble(C) Ratio of carbon- 14 and carbon- 12 remains constant during disintegration(D) Carbon- 14 is highly soluble

Answer

Verified

Hint: To answer this question, you must recall the concept of radioactive decay of carbon- 14 isotope in a dead organic matter. Carbon- 14 is the heaviest of the three isotopes of carbon and it is radioactive in nature.

Complete step by step solution
Carbon- 14 is the radioactive isotope of carbon and is known as radiocarbon. It is a highly unstable species and undergoes radioactive decay unlike the stable isotopes of carbon- 12 and carbon- 13. Carbon- 14 is prepared in the atmosphere constantly due to the action of cosmic rays in the upper atmosphere on nitrogen atoms. The carbon- 14 thus formed oxidizes almost instantly in the air to form carbon dioxide gas and enters the carbon cycle.
This carbon- 14 isotope from the carbon dioxide is assimilated over a period of time in all plants and animals. When the plant or animal dies, the exchange of carbon with the atmosphere stops. The ratio of carbon- 12 isotope and carbon- 14 isotope in all living organisms is constant. When the organism dies, the level of carbon- 12 becomes constant while that of carbon- 14 decreases because of its radioactivity. By measuring, the ratio of carbon- 12 and carbon- 14 in a given sample and then comparing it to that in a living organism, the age of the sample can be determined.
The correct answer is C.

Note:
An isotope of an element is the species that has the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons. In other words, they are the atoms of the same element having a different mass. There are three isotopic forms of carbon, namely, carbon- 12, carbon- 13 and carbon- 14.

What is the basis for the carbon

The basis of radiocarbon dating is simple: all living things absorb carbon from the atmosphere and food sources around them, including a certain amount of natural, radioactive carbon-14. When the plant or animal dies, they stop absorbing, but the radioactive carbon that they've accumulated continues to decay.

What is carbon

Archaeologists have long used carbon-14 dating (also known as radiocarbon dating) to estimate the age of certain objects. Traditional radiocarbon dating is applied to organic remains between 500 and 50,000 years old and exploits the fact that trace amounts of radioactive carbon are found in the natural environment.

What is carbon

carbon-14 dating, also called radiocarbon dating, method of age determination that depends upon the decay to nitrogen of radiocarbon (carbon-14).