Carbon 14 dating
Each bone in the diagram contains coloured dots that represent the amount of Carbon 12
and Carbon 14 atoms at a particular time. Bone 1 represents the amount of C-12:C-14 at the
present day. There are the same number of C-12 atoms as C-14, so the ratio is 1:1.
Your task is to draw in the correct number of coloured dots to represent the C-12 and C-14
atoms present after each ‘half-life’, ie 5,670 years. Complete the worksheet by calculating the
correct dates and ratios in each bone.
C-12
C-14
Present
day
Ratio C-12 to C-14
5730
years
Ratio C-12 to C-14
Bone 1
1:1
Bone 2
2:1
or
1:1/2
11460
years
Ratio C-12 to C-14
________
Ratio C-12 to C-14
years
________
years
Bone 3
_____:_____
Bone 4
_____:_____
Ratio C-12 to C-14
Bone 5
_____:_____
The lower the ratio the ____________________ the specimen.
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