Calculate organic sample ages using Carbon-14 decay. Enter C-14 percentage or ratios to determine when an organism died. Includes formulas, real-world examples, and limitations of radiocarbon dating.
Radiocarbon dating is a method used to determine the age of organic materials by measuring the amount of Carbon-14 (C-14) remaining in the sample. This calculator estimates the age based on the decay rate of C-14.
Enter the percentage of C-14 remaining compared to a living organism (between 0.001% and 100%).
Radiocarbon dating works because all living organisms absorb carbon from their environment, including a small amount of radioactive C-14. When an organism dies, it stops absorbing new carbon, and the C-14 begins to decay at a known rate.
By measuring the amount of C-14 remaining in a sample and comparing it to the amount in living organisms, scientists can calculate how long ago the organism died.
The Radiocarbon Dating Formula
t = -8267 Ăâ ln(NââĹ/NâââŹ), where t is the age in years, 8267 is the mean lifetime of C-14 (derived from the 5,730-year half-life), NââĹ is the current amount of C-14, and Nââ⏠is the initial amount.
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