Radioactive Dating

Front

What is radioactive dating?

Back

A method used to determine the age of materials by measuring the amount of radioactive isotopes present.

Front

What is a parent isotope?

Back

The original radioactive isotope that undergoes decay to form a daughter isotope.

Front

What is a daughter isotope?

Back

The product of the decay of a parent isotope.

Front

What is half-life?

Back

The time required for half of the parent isotope in a sample to decay into daughter isotopes.

Front

How do you calculate the age of a sample using half-lives?

Back

Multiply the number of half-lives that have passed by the length of one half-life.

Front

What are index fossils?

Back

Fossils of species that were widespread but only existed for a short period, used to date rock layers.

Front

What is the significance of Carbon-14 in dating?

Back

Carbon-14 is used to date organic materials up to about 50,000 years old.

Front

What is the half-life of Uranium-238?

Back

Approximately 4.5 billion years.

Front

What happens to the amount of parent isotope over time?

Back

It decreases as it decays into daughter isotopes.

Front

What is the relationship between half-life and radioactive decay?

Back

Half-life is the time it takes for half of the radioactive atoms in a sample to decay.