Question
Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5,730 years. A fossilized leaf contains 12.5% of the carbon-14 that was present when the fossil formed.How old is the fossil? Express the answer numerically in years and show how the remaining fraction gives the number of half-lives.
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Evidence boundary
The calculation uses the values stated in this problem: a 5,730-year carbon-14 half-life and 12.5% remaining. It assumes the measured carbon belongs to the leaf, that the sample remained a closed system after death, and that 100% represents the starting amount specified by the exercise. Real laboratory dating also requires calibration, contamination control, and uncertainty analysis, which are not supplied here.