Chemistry

Chemistry

Problem

An ancient parchment has a

^{14}\text C

activity of

3.0\,\text{disintegrations\,min}^{-1}\,\text{g}^{-1}

, whereas freshly cut wood shows

15.0\,\text{disintegrations\,min}^{-1}\,\text{g}^{-1}

. Taking the half-life of

^{14}\text C

as

5730\,

years and using

\ln 5 = 1.609

and

\ln 10 = 2.303

, the age of the parchment is closest to a)

1.15\times10^{4}\,\text{years}

b)

1.33\times10^{4}\,\text{years}

c)

5.8\times10^{3}\,\text{years}

d)

2.87\times10^{4}\,\text{years}

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