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How can radioactive isotopes help determine an objects absolute age? Well, each radioactive
isotope has a unique Half-life, which is the time it takes for one half of the radioactive parent material to
decay into its stable daughter material. For instance, Carbon-14, which is radioactive, decays into
Nitrogen-14, its daughter isotope. The time it takes for one half of a sample of Carbon-14 to decay into
Nitrogen-14 is about 5,730 years. This is the half-life of Carbon-14. One way that scientists are able to
determine the half-life of radioactive isotopes is by studying the amount of radiation they emit. This
corresponds to how fast the isotope is decaying, or its half-life. Listed below are the half-life times for
three radioactive isotopes.
Stable
Daughter
Material
Half-life
Material
Dated
Radioactive
Carbon-14
Nitrogen-14
Radioactive
Potassium-40
Argon-40
Radioactive
Uranium-238
Lead-206
5,730 years
Organic material
younger than
50,000 years old
Lay the piece of Twizzlerium-200 at the half-life position 0 on the X-Axis and record its starting
length at the X-Y intercept. (Measure how high on the Y axis the top of your Twizzler is)
2. Twizzlerium-200 has a half-life of 30 seconds. Begin the radioactive decay process of Twizzlerium200. Use the clock and the ruler to make sure you eat half of the Twillerium-200 sample every 30
seconds while recording the length at the X-Y intercept after the passing of each half-life.
3. Connect the dots on the graph with a curve rather than a straight line.
4. Answer all the conclusion questions
Length of Twizllerium-200
Half-life Number
Conclusion Questions: Use the information from the introduction and your graph to answer all
of the questions below. Please answer the questions in complete sentences.
1.
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2. Name at least two radioactive isotopes that are used for radiometric dating ___________________
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3. What is a half-life? ______________________________________________________________
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4. What is the half-life for Twizzlerium-200? ____________________________________________
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5. What is the half-life for C14, Potasium-40, and Uranium-238? ____________________________
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YOU DO NOT NEED TO USE COMPLETE SENTENCES FOR #6 THROUGH #11.
6. If there is 1/2 Twizzlerium-200 left how many half-lives occurred?_________ Seconds? _______
7. If there is 1/4 Twizzlerium-200 left how many half-lives occurred?_________ Minutes? _______
8. If there is 1/8 Twizzlerium-200 left how many half-lives occurred?_________ Minutes? _______
9. If there is 1/16 Twizzlerium-200 left how many half-lives occurred?________ Minutes? _______
10. If you have a 100-foot piece of Twizzlerium-200, how many feet would be left after 2 minutes?
(Round decimal answers to the hundredths)
______________________________ feet.
How many feet would be left after 3 minutes? _______________________ feet.
11. If you have 10 grams of C14 in a sample, how much would be left after 5,730 years? _________
12. In your own words, explain how scientists can use radioactive isotopes to determine the absolute
age of rocks.
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YOU DO NOT NEED TO USE COMPLETE SENTENCES FOR #13 OR #14.
13. If 200 = the Atomic Mass for Twizzlerium-200, and it has 90 protons, how many neutrons does it
have? ______________________ (Hint: Atomic Mass = Protons + Neutrons)
14. If 238 is the atomic mass for Uranium-238, how many Protons and Neutrons does it contain?
(Hint: U 238s Atomic Number is 92)
15. If a rock is found to have equal parts Uranium-238 to Lead-206, how old is the rock? Please
explain your answer (HINT: Use the information on the front of the lab sheet).
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