Radioactive Dating

The characteristic of the radioactive isotope uranium-238 that makes this isotope useful for accurately dating the age of a rock is the isotope’s 

• organic origin

• constant half life

• common 
  occurrence in sediment

• resistance to weathering

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8

Scientists use radioactive decay to measure...

• relative time

• absolute time

• half-lives

• time of day

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8

The original element that undergoes radioactive decay is known as the...

• daughter element

• half-life

• parent element

• carbon-14

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8

The element that is the product of radioactive decay is known as the...

• daughter element

• half-life

• parent element

• carbon-14

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8

What percentage of Rubidium-87 will remain after 4 half-lives?

• 25%

• 12.5%

• 6.25%

• 3.125%

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8

Scientists use radiometric dating (radioactive decay) to measure...

• relative time (dating)

• absolute time (dating)

• half-lives

• time of day

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8

Absolute age is defined as:

• The age of rock determined by radiometric dating.

• The age of rock based on living animals.

• The age of rock based on its location.

• The age of rock determined by relative dating.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-5

Why are isotopes with short half-lives like Carbon-14 not useful for dating very old fossils like dinosaurs?

• because not enough of the parent isotope remains to measure accurately

• because not enough of the daughter product has formed to be detectable

• because neither the parent isotope nor the daughter product will be detectable

• because very old rocks would never have contained these isotopes

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8

The amount of time it takes for 50% of the remaining radioactive material to decay into stable material is called:

• radiocarbon dating

• radioactive decay

• half-life

• successive decay time

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8

Length of time for half the atoms of an isotope to decay

• Isotope

• Half-Life

• Radiometric Dating

• Absolute Dating

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8