Chemistry

Chemistry

Problem

A wooden spear shaft recovered from an archaeological site shows an activity of 3.5 disintegrations per second per gram due to the presence of radioactive 14^{14}C. Fresh living wood of the same mass exhibits an activity of 15.6 disintegrations per second per gram. The half-life of 14^{14}C is 5730 years5730\,\text{years}. (i) Write the mathematical relation between activity and time for a radioactive nuclide that will allow the age of the sample to be determined. (ii) Hence calculate the age of the spear shaft, giving your answer correct to the nearest decade.

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