| json_metadata | "{"app":"Musing","appParentAuthor":"kwadjobonsu","appCategory":"Science","appTags":["Science",""],"appBody":"<p>HOW CARBON DATING WORKS<\/p>\n<p>Carbon dating works by analyzing the ratio of Carbon-12 atoms and Carbon-14 atoms in something to determine how old it is.<\/p>\n<p>In living things\u2014plants, insects, animals, humans, etc.\u2014there is a certain amount of Carbon-12 and radioactive Carbon-14 atoms. The ratio between the two Carbon atoms is more or less maintained throughout the life of an organism, but when death occurs, Carbon-14 atoms continue to decay while Carbon-12 atoms remain the same.<\/p>\n<p>Given that the half-life of Carbon-14 is 5,700 years, it's possible to determine the age of something by looking at the ratio of Carbon-12 atoms to Carbon-14 atoms factoring in the latter's rate of decay. Carbon dating, though, does have it's limits. Essentially, carbon dating has an age range of up to roughly 50,000 years.<\/p>\n<p>CARBON-14 ATOMS<\/p>\n<p>Carbon-14 atoms are distinguished from Carbon-12 atoms by the number of protons and neutrons each have. Carbon-14 atoms are ones that have been altered via cosmic rays entering the atmosphere and colliding with a Carbon-12 atom.<\/p>\n<p>Carbon-14 atoms combined with oxygen form carbon dioxide. Plants use that to grow and pass carbon dioxide throughout its entire system. Animals eat plants, humans eat animals, and all three, as well as insects and other lifeforms, are creating their own Carbon-14 atoms due to being bombarded by the same cosmic rays.<\/p>","musingAppVersion":"1.1","musingPostType":"answer","appDepth":2,"appParentPermlink":"fkm5mk49x","musingAppId":"aU2p3C3a8N","appTitle":"How does carbon dating work?"}" |
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