0
How do scientists use the rate at which radioactive elements decay in rocks?
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
they measure how long it takes for half of its unstable molecules to turn to more stable atoms, a half life
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
What types of elements are useful for dating materials?
Radioactive elements are used to date the age of rocks. Radioactive elements decay according to a known pattern. Scientists can use the elements of that pattern to determine when the rock with the original radioactive element was formed.
When scientists measure the ratio of unstable atoms to stable atoms in a sample of rock what are they trying to determine?
They are determining the age of the rocks. Radioactive elements decay over time, so the composition of a rock can indicate when that particular strata was formed.
How do scientists use radioactive decay to date fossil and artifacts?
Because they want 2
A radioactive gas?
Tritium and radon are radioactive gases.
Which element is a dangerous gas released by rocks and soil?
The radioactive decay of uranium and thorium minerals in igneous rocks such as granite can cause the release of the gas Radon which is dangerous to humans. The breakdown (anaerobic decay) of biological materials in soils and rocks at shallow depths can also produce methane gas which can be explosive or potentially cause asphyxia by displacement of oxygen at high concentrations.
What types of elements are useful for dating materials?
Radioactive elements are used to date the age of rocks. Radioactive elements decay according to a known pattern. Scientists can use the elements of that pattern to determine when the rock with the original radioactive element was formed.
How do scienistuse the rate at which radioactive elements decay on rocks?
give a irect answer ^
Why are radioactive materials used to date rocks rocks?
Radioactive materials decay at predictable rates
Geologists determine the absolute age of rocks using?
Geologists determine the absolute age of rocks using radiometric dating techniques, such as carbon dating or uranium-lead dating. These methods rely on measuring the proportions of radioactive isotopes and their decay products in the rocks to calculate how long ago they formed.
When scientists measure the ratio of unstable atoms to stable atoms in a sample of rock what are they trying to determine?
They are determining the age of the rocks. Radioactive elements decay over time, so the composition of a rock can indicate when that particular strata was formed.
How do scientists use the halflife of radioactive isotopes to date rocks and fossils?
The basic idea is to compare the abundance of a naturally occurring radioactive isotope within a material to the abundance of its decay products; it is known how fast the radioactive isotope decays.
How do scientists estimate how old the solar system is?
Scientists assume that the meteors, asteroids, and comets were created at the same time as the solar system. Those have rocks that contain radioactive materials. The radioactive materials became a part of those rocks when they were created. None were ever added. It is possible to find the rate at which radioactive materials decay into other elements. Scientists can take the radioactive material in a rock and measure it and compare the amount of its decay results to their tables in a book. That tells them the Solar System is something between 4 and 5 billion years old.
How do scientists use radioactive decay to date fossil and artifacts?
Because they want 2
Radioactive dating enables geologist to determine what?
The age of rocks can be determined by radioactive dating.
Is radioactive decay slow?
Radioactive decay is measured as a half life and it varies enormously. REALLY enormously! The shortest half life is for artificial elements where the half life is a few millionths of a second, the longest is hydrogen which has a half life of far longer than the lifetime of the universe! Uranium has a half life of around 4000 million years; geologists use uranium (and other elements) to calculate the age of rocks based on how much of the uranium has decayed.
What is Radioactive dating of rock samples?
Radioactive dating of rock samples determines the age of rocks from the time it was formed. Geologist determine the age of rocks using radioactive dating. The radioactive dating relies on spontaneous decomposition into other element. The spontaneous decomposition is called radioactive decay.
What elements in rocks do scientist analyze to determine the actual age?
radioactive
