Radiometric Dating

The half-life of carbon 14 is

• 5,730 years

• 6,745 years

• 3,567 years

• unknown

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8

In potassium-argon dating

• Potassium-40 decays to argon-40

• The parent isotope has a half-life of 1.26 million years.

• The technique can be used only in organic materials.

• All of these

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8

In potassium-argon dating method, Potassium-40 has a half-life of approximately:

• 3 billion years

• 6 billion years

• 8 billion years

• unknown

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8

While analyzing the bodies of two ancient humans who were known to have lived at the same time, you discover one of the bodies has a slightly greater amount of carbon-14 still remaining. Which conclusion should you draw?

• The individual with more carbon-14 remaining probably ate more plants than the other.

• Carbon-14 decays at different rates in different individuals.

• The body with more carbon-14 remaining died earlier than the other individual.

• All of these

The product of the radioactive decay of a parent isotope is know as a _____ isotope.

• Daughter

• Half-Life

• Absolute

• None of these

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8

Every atom of carbon-14 in the atmosphere started out as which element?

• nitrogen

• hydrogen

• oxygen

• carbon

A half life is the time it takes for half of the parent isotopes to change into daughter isotopes.

• true

• false

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8

Which of the following decays to lead-207 with a half-life of 704 million years?

• Uranium-235

• Uranium-238

• Potasium-40

• None of these

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8

What is the principle behind radiometric dating?

• Measurement of radioactive decay of isotopes

• Comparison of fossil shapes

• Analysis of soil layers

• Observation of celestial movements

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8

Which isotope is commonly used in radiocarbon dating?

• Carbon-12

• Carbon-13

• Carbon-14

• Carbon-15

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8