Carbon Dating and

Archaeology Project
Math Project
Done By: Reem Atigha, Sena Hassen, Judy Alassali
Class: 12G1
 Table of contents

01 02
Hypothetical
03
Introduction & Calculations
Half LIfe Carbon Archaeological
scenario

04 05
Sources & Errors
06
Interpretations & Conclusions
Significance of limitations
 Objective

● We will explore the use of exponential decay in carbon

dating and its application in archaeology.
● We will create a hypothetical archaeological scenario to
demonstrate the use of carbon dating
● We will determine the age of an ancient organic wood
01
Introduction & Half Life Carbon

The concept of carbon dating and how it is

used to determine the age of archaeological
artifacts.
 Carbon dating was first developed in the
late 1940s at the University of Chicago by
Willard Libby
01.Introduction
● Carbon dating, or radiocarbon dating, determines the age of
organic materials.
● It relies on the radioactive decay of carbon-14 (C-14) in
once-living organisms.
● Carbon dating is effective for dating materials up to around
50,000 years old.
 How does it work?
● C-14 is an element formed in the atmosphere when cosmic rays
interact with nitrogen-14 (N-14).
● Living organisms absorb C-14 from the atmosphere while they are
alive.
● When an organism dies, it stops absorbing new C-14, and the C-14 in
its tissues begins to decay.
● The decay of C-14 is used to estimate the age of the material.
● By measuring the ratio of C-14 to stable carbon (C-12), scientists
determine the time since death.
 Half-life of Carbon-14
● Half-life is the time it takes for half of a radioactive substance to
decay.
● Carbon-14 (C-14) has a radioactive half-life of approximately 5,730
years.
● This means that after one half-life, half of the C-14 in a sample will
have decayed to stable nitrogen-14 (N-14).
● The concept of half-life is fundamental to radiocarbon dating, as it
allows scientists to estimate the age of organic materials by
measuring the remaining C-14 in a sample.
02.Hypothetical Archaeological
scenario
Let's imagine an archaeological scenario where a team of
researchers has discovered a sample of ancient wood
within the ruins of an ancient structure. They want to
determine the age of this wood to better understand the
timeline of the civilization that built the structure. In this
case, the wood sample will serve as the organic material
of interest. They take a sample of the wood and send it to
a lab for carbon dating.
 Observations
● After doing research, the scientist found that:
○ The wood initially had 6,400 Carbon-14 absorbed
from the atmosphere
○ The current amount of Carbon-14 present in the wood
is 1,600
● We will be using these findings to calculate the age of the
wood
Calculations
Finding time
Formula: N(t)= Ni x (½)^t/5730

● N(t)= 1600
● Ni= 6400

1600= 6400 (½)^t/5730

1600/6400 = 6400/6400 (1/2)^t/5730
¼ = (½)^t/5730
(½)^2 =(1/2)^t/5730
2 = t/5730
t = 11,460
Finding amount of carbon-14 left after
some more years
Formula: N(t)= Ni x (½)^t/5730

● Ni = 6400
● T = 45,840

N(t) = 6400 (1/2)^45840/5730

= 6400 (1/2)^8
= 6400 x 0.00390
= 25
Finding rate
Formula: f(t)2 - f(t)1/ t2 - t1

● f(t)2 = 25
● f(t)1 = 1600
● t2 = 45,840
● t1 = 11,460

r = 25 - 1600/ 45,840 - 11,460

= -1575/ 34,380
= -0.046
Finding percentage decrease in
Carbon-14
Formula: r% = r x 100%

● r= -0.046

r% = r x 100%
= 0.046 x 100%
= -4.6%

● The amount of Carbon-14 in the Wood decreased by 4.6% every year

04.Interpretations & Significance
The age of the wooden artifact is
approximately 11,460 years old. The
calculated age provides valuable information
about the history of the artifact. In this
hypothetical scenario, it indicates that the
wood sample likely dates back to around
11,460 years ago, which may correspond to a
specific period in history, culture, or
archaeological context
 05.Errors of limitations
1. Contamination: Carbon dating can
be affected by contamination from
modern carbon sources, which can
lead to inaccurate results
2. Calibration: Calibration curves are
used to correct for variations in
atmospheric carbon-14 levels over
time.
3. Sample Size: The accuracy of
carbon dating can be influenced by
the size and quality of the sample
4. Natural Variations: The half-life
of carbon-14 may vary slightly over
time, leading to minor inaccuracies.
Conclusions
In conclusion, carbon dating is a powerful tool in
archaeology for dating organic artifacts. While it
has its limitations and potential sources of error, it
provides valuable insights into the age of
archaeological specimens, helping us piece
together the history of our past.
Thanks!
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