Example 4.

7 (a) A fossilized bone is found to contain one thousandth the original

amount of C-14. Determine the age of fossil.

(b) Use the information provided in part (a) to determine the approximate

age of a piece of wood found in an archaeological excavation at the site to date

prehistoric paintings and drawing on the walls and ceilings of a cave in Lascaux,

France, provided 85.5% of the C-14 had decayed.

Solution: a. The separable differential equation

dN
=k N (t )
dt , where k is the constant of proportionality of decay, models the

phenomenon as discussed above.

The solution is

N(t) = N0ekt (say l = -k, if we want to put in the form of the above discussion).

Half-life of C-14 is approximately 5600 years

No
2 = N(5600)

1
or 2 N0 = N0e5600k. By cancelling N0 and taking logarithm of both sides we get

1
5600 k=ln =−ln 2
2

ln 2
or k= - 5600 = -0.00012378

Therefore

N(t) = N0 e-0.00012378t

1
N0
With N(t) = 1000 we have

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 1
1000 N0=N0e-0.00012378t

1
-0.00012378t = ln 1000 = - ln 1000. Thus

ln 1000
t= ≈55800 yrs
0. 00012378

(b) Let N(t)= N0ekt where k= -0.00012378 by part (a).

85.5% of C-14 had decayed; that is,

N(t) = 0.145 N0

or N0e - 0.00012378t = 0.145 No

Taking logarithm of both sides and solving for t, we get

t»15,600 years

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