Archaeology is the systematic study of past human life and culture by the recovery and examination of remaining material evidence, such as graves, buildings, tools, and pottery. Logarithms are used to determine the age of artifacts, such as bones and other fibers, up to 50,000 years old. They can also be used to compare the decaying of Carbon-14 to the Carbon-12 to determine the age of the artifact.
x=(1/2)^t/5730
where x is the proportion of 14C remaining in the object after t years.
Example: x=(1/2)^(64/5730) x=.9923
t= age(x) = 5730ln(x)/ln(1/2)
where x is the proportion of 14C remaining in the object after t years and t is the age of the object.
Example: 5730ln(.9923)/ln(1/2) t=64
Informational Links: www.faculty.umassd.edu/adam.hausknecht/temath/TEMATH2/Examples/pub/labs/lab10logarithmicfunctionweb.pdf
www.intmath.com/exponential-logarithmic-functions/exponential-log-funtions-intro.php
Without Carbon Dating how would archaeologist be able to use logs to date ancient artifacts??
It's amazing how archaelogist can date artifacts based on such a simple element. But in the equation what does the number 5730 represent?
ReplyDelete-Michael Cervone and Roxy Boehm
the half-life of carbon 14
ReplyDelete