Question: Dinosaur fossils are often dated by using an element other than carbon, such as potassium-40, that has a longer half-life (in this case, approximately 1.25

Dinosaur fossils are often dated by using an element other than carbon, such as potassium-40, that has a longer half-life (in this case, approximately 1.25 billion years). Suppose the minimum detectable amount is 0.1% and a dinosaur is dated with 40K to be 68 million years old. Is such a dating possible? In other words, what is the maximum age of a fossil that we could date using 40K?

Step by Step Solution

3.45 Rating (168 Votes )

There are 3 Steps involved in it

1 Expert Approved Answer
Step: 1 Unlock

Let t measure time since a dinosaur died in millions of years and let yt be the amou... View full answer

blur-text-image
Question Has Been Solved by an Expert!

Get step-by-step solutions from verified subject matter experts

Step: 2 Unlock
Step: 3 Unlock

Students Have Also Explored These Related Precalculus Questions!