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What is the process called when scientists use radioactive isotopes to calculate a fossils age?
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
Radioactive elements tend to degrade or give off radiation at a constant rate. That is an essential part of radioactive carbon dating. Uranium, for instance has a has half life of 5,400 years. Each 5,400 years, half of the uranium becomes inert lead. It is considered an accurate form of dating.
Wiki User
∙ 9y ago
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoradioactive decay
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Describe the sequence of events that led scientists to finally accept the idea of continental drift?
the first thing that happened was the scientists accepted the fossils then the fossils were formed, finally the fossils were made
How can the absolute age of a rock be determined?
Through Radioactive Dating or Isotopic Dating.
How did scientists found out about pangaea?
Scientists found fossils that were from the same dinosaur in South America, Africa, Australia, and Europe.
An understanding of which of these best enabled scientists to determine the approximate ages of fossils?
Radioactivity
Why do scientists study the Great Rift Valley?
because it contains a lot of fossils
Scientists use the amount of radioactive isotopes found in rocks and fossils to calculate their ages this process is called?
the rock and the fossils are made out of lava stuff
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.
What can scientists learn from the rate at which radioactive elements decay?
fossils
What property of radioactive isotopes allow them to be used to determine the age of rocks and fossils?
Their half life.
How isotopes can be used to benefit humans?
Doctors can use radioactive isotopes to treat certain types of cancer, such as prostate cancer. Geologists use isotopes to date some rocks and fossils.
True or False Fossils may be dated by either the relative dating method which determines the relative order of fossils or by the absolute dating method which uses radioactive isotopes?
True
Since radioactive isotopes decay at different rates how is radiocarbon dating of any value in determining how old a fossil is?
Radiocarbon dating is useful for determining the age of organic materials such as fossils because it measures the decay of carbon-14 isotopes. Carbon-14 has a half-life of about 5,730 years, making it suitable for dating organic remains up to around 50,000 years old. By comparing the ratio of carbon-14 to stable carbon isotopes in a sample, scientists can calculate its age.
What are three uses of isotopes?
Carbon-14 is used to determine the age of fossils. Radiation therapy for cancer comes from isotopes that emit gamma rays. Thyroid tissue that may be cancerous and has left the throat region can be located in the body with radioactive iodine.
How do you tell which fossils are older?
Fossils found in deeper rock layers are typically older than those found in shallower layers. Scientists also use methods like radiometric dating to determine the age of fossils based on the decay of radioactive isotopes present in the fossils. Additionally, studying the index fossils that are typically associated with specific time periods can help determine the relative age of fossils.
Dating uses the properties of atoms in rocks and other objects to find their ages?
Dating methods like radiometric dating use the decay of radioactive isotopes in rocks to determine their age. By measuring the ratios of different isotopes in a sample, scientists can calculate how long it has been since the rock formed. This can provide valuable information about the history of the Earth and when specific events occurred.
What are two major methods of dating artifacts or fossils?
Two major methods of dating artifacts or fossils are relative dating, which determines the age of an object in relation to other objects, and radiometric dating, which uses the decay of radioactive isotopes in the object to calculate its age.
Why is radioactive decay a good method of measuring the absolute age of ancient fossils?
Radioactive decay is a good method for dating fossils because it provides a reliable way to determine the age of a sample based on the decay of specific isotopes. By measuring the ratio of parent isotopes to daughter isotopes in a fossil, scientists can calculate the age of the fossil using the known half-life of the radioactive isotope. This method is consistent and doesn't rely on external factors that can affect other dating methods.
