Did You Know Nuclear Physics Helps Date Ancient Artifacts?

💡 The Answer

• Carbon-14 dating relies on the radioactive decay of carbon-14 to nitrogen-14.
• Living organisms absorb carbon-14 until they die, after which the amount decreases at a known rate.
• The half-life of carbon-14 is about 5,730 years, making it useful for dating organic remains up to 50,000 years old.
• This technique was pioneered by Willard Libby in the 1940s using nuclear physics principles.