Isotopes are really interesting when we talk about carbon dating!
Carbon comes in different forms, like carbon-12 and carbon-14.
Carbon-14: This is the type we look at when we want to date things that were once alive.
Radioactive decay: Carbon-14 isn’t stable, which means it breaks down over time and turns into something called nitrogen-14.
Half-life: The half-life of carbon-14 is about 5,730 years. This means it takes that long for half of the carbon-14 to change into nitrogen-14.
When scientists check how much carbon-14 is left in a sample, they can tell how old it is.
It’s like having a time machine that helps us learn about the past!
Isotopes are really interesting when we talk about carbon dating!
Carbon comes in different forms, like carbon-12 and carbon-14.
Carbon-14: This is the type we look at when we want to date things that were once alive.
Radioactive decay: Carbon-14 isn’t stable, which means it breaks down over time and turns into something called nitrogen-14.
Half-life: The half-life of carbon-14 is about 5,730 years. This means it takes that long for half of the carbon-14 to change into nitrogen-14.
When scientists check how much carbon-14 is left in a sample, they can tell how old it is.
It’s like having a time machine that helps us learn about the past!