0
What is radioactive decay and how can it tell you how old something is?
Wiki User
∙ 10y agoWant this question answered?
Be notified when an answer is posted
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
How are radioactive isotopes used determine the absolute age of igneous rock?
Answer : When the isotopes decay, scientists can find out how old the rock is depending on the radioactive isotope's half-life. Explanation: Radioactive isotopes are unstable and will decay. For example, when humans die carbon-14 decays. The isotopes will decay into a stable isotope over time. Scientists can tell how old the rock was from looking at the radioactive isotope's half-life, which tells them how long it would take for there to be half the radioactive isotope and half the stable isotope. At the next half-life there will be 25% of the radioactive isotope and 75% of the stable isotope. At the next half life there will be 12.5% radioactive and 87.5% stable. Example: Carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope with a half life of 5,730 years. How old would carbon-14 be when there is 75% carbon-14 in the rock? 75% is half of the time before the half-life, so it would be 2,365 years. Hope this helps. Half life helps scientists find how much the isotope has decayed and the age of the rock.
Gaseous products of a disintegrating radioactive substance such as thoron or radon?
The gaseous products of a disintegrating radioactive substance such as thoron or radon usually include isotopes of helium or polonium. These isotopes are formed as a result of radioactive decay and are emitted in the form of gas. They can pose a health risk if inhaled, as they are radioactive and can accumulate in the lungs.
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.
What is the similarity of radioactive isotope and radioactive dating?
Radioactive isotopes are used for radioactive dating. For example, you would use radioactive isotope Carbon-14 to date anything under 70,000 years that was once living. Radioactive isotopes decay from their parent isotope to daughter isotope at a constant rate (under any circumstances). The rate at which a parent isotope decays to its daughter isotope is considered one half life. Carbon-14 has a half life of 5730 years and its daughter isotope is Nitrogen-14. In order to determine how old something is you have to find out how much of the parent isotope is present in relation to the daughter.
How do geologist know that earth and the solar system are approximately 4.6 years old?
The details are quite complicated, but as I understand it, the main evidence is radioactive decay. The exact mix of isotopes of different elements in a compound can provide evidence of how old it is (sometimes this might mean, when a substance solidified), since the mix of isotopes will change over time, in case some of the isotopes are radioactive.
Why scientists use radioactive dating?
To figure out how old something is based how long it takes elements in the sample to decay.
Why do scientist use radioactive dating?
To figure out how old something is based how long it takes elements in the sample to decay.
A specimen is found to have 3 atoms of a radioactive isotope for every 9 atoms of the stable decay product The radioactive material has a half-life of 2500 years how old is the specimen?
5000 years old
How are radioactive isotopes used to determine the absolute age of igneous rock.?
Answer : When the isotopes decay, scientists can find out how old the rock is depending on the radioactive isotope's half-life. Explanation: Radioactive isotopes are unstable and will decay. For example, when humans die carbon-14 decays. The isotopes will decay into a stable isotope over time. Scientists can tell how old the rock was from looking at the radioactive isotope's half-life, which tells them how long it would take for there to be half the radioactive isotope and half the stable isotope. At the next half-life there will be 25% of the radioactive isotope and 75% of the stable isotope. At the next half life there will be 12.5% radioactive and 87.5% stable. Example: Carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope with a half life of 5,730 years. How old would carbon-14 be when there is 75% carbon-14 in the rock? 75% is half of the time before the half-life, so it would be 2,365 years. Hope this helps. Half life helps scientists find how much the isotope has decayed and the age of the rock.
How are radioactive isotopes used determine the absolute age of igneous rock?
Answer : When the isotopes decay, scientists can find out how old the rock is depending on the radioactive isotope's half-life. Explanation: Radioactive isotopes are unstable and will decay. For example, when humans die carbon-14 decays. The isotopes will decay into a stable isotope over time. Scientists can tell how old the rock was from looking at the radioactive isotope's half-life, which tells them how long it would take for there to be half the radioactive isotope and half the stable isotope. At the next half-life there will be 25% of the radioactive isotope and 75% of the stable isotope. At the next half life there will be 12.5% radioactive and 87.5% stable. Example: Carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope with a half life of 5,730 years. How old would carbon-14 be when there is 75% carbon-14 in the rock? 75% is half of the time before the half-life, so it would be 2,365 years. Hope this helps. Half life helps scientists find how much the isotope has decayed and the age of the rock.
What is the difference between the dendrochronology dating method and the radio carbon dating method?
They are completely unrelated - except for their purpose, which is to find out how old something is.Dendochronology uses tree ring counting. Radiocarbon uses radioactive decay.
Gaseous products of a disintegrating radioactive substance such as thoron or radon?
The gaseous products of a disintegrating radioactive substance such as thoron or radon usually include isotopes of helium or polonium. These isotopes are formed as a result of radioactive decay and are emitted in the form of gas. They can pose a health risk if inhaled, as they are radioactive and can accumulate in the lungs.
How old is a sample of granite that contains 8 grams of radioactive potassium-40 and 56 grams of its nonradioactive decay products?
3.9 x 10^9
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.
Does radioactive decay give evidence that the earth has changed?
Information on radioactive decay is used for radiometric dating. It can be used to determine the ages of rocks, fossils, and younger organic materials. Clearly, the earth has changed, and the dating of materials on the earth show this. In the really old times, the surface of the earth had no plants. Over time, the plants developed on the earth, and then came animals. Dominant forms came and went, and all this is in the record, dated to some extent by techniques that use radioactive decay rates. Even the rocks, untouched by life, have changed, and this also can be dated based on decay rates.
How did geologists know that earth and the solar system are approximately 4.6 billion years old?
It's quite simple really. What happens to something when it dies? It decomposes, right? This doesn't just apply to living things though. It applies to all atoms. All atoms give off radiation even in small amounts. This is referred to as radioactive decay. This happens at a set rate. It is not affected by gravity, or any of the other basic forces. It's not a guess, it's a fact. By measuring the amount of radioactive decay and object has, you can get an estimate of how old that object is.
Why radioactive decay use to determine the absolute age of rocks?
**this happens because it does. is a common answer i receive but is not true. BUT the answer IS that radioactive decay is used to determine the ABSOLUTE age of rocks because it is more accurate, and because when you put radioactive decay and you put a rock there, you see a process going on. correct me if I'm wrong but i believe that using this is receive don't listen to what i say below: When you take radioactive material, and you put a solid in there, what happens? COMBUSTION! this is caused by a CHEMICAL REACTION. so common sense tells me that when you put radioactive decay to determine a rocks absolute age, its common knowledge that they use it for accuracy, and they take the age and see how old it (the rocks) are. that's how they know the age of rocks. (look in your every day science book it should say) hope this helped :3 :D **
