Question

An organism has 100% of its carbon-14 in it when it dies and when it was found many years later it contained only 6.25% carbon. How old is it?

Answer 1

Answer:

Carbon-14 has a half life of 5730 years, meaning that 5730 years after an organism dies, half of its carbon-14 atoms have decayed to nitrogen atoms. Similarly, 11460 years after an organism dies, only one quarter of its original carbon-14 atoms are still around.