Questions and Answers
What is the half-life of the parent isotope if you begin with 20.0 grams and find 1.25 grams of parent and 18.75 grams of daughter? The age of the rock is 1,800,000 years.
450,000 Years
If the age of some rock is determined to be 1,600,000 years old and the half-life of some radioactive isotope is 400,000 years, what is the ratio of parent to daughter in the rock?
1/16 Parent, 15/16 Daughter
What is the half-life of the radioactive isotope found in the rock if the age of the rock is 1,800,000 years old with a ratio of 1/64 parent and 63/64 daughter?
300,000 Years
Geologists found an igneous rock that contains radioactive isotope A, which has a half-life of 500,000 years. If the sample was 1/16 parent and 15/16 daughter, what is the age of the rock?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the half-life of the radioactive isotope if the age of the rock is determined to be 3,000,000 years with a ratio of 1/32 parent and 31/32 daughter?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the half-life of the radioactive isotope if a granite sample contains 5 grams of parent and 15 grams of daughter after decay and the rock's age is 1,800,000 years old?
Signup and view all the answers
If you begin with 20.0 grams of a radioactive parent isotope and the rock is 1,000,000 years old with a half-life of 200,000, how many grams of parent isotope and daughter product were found?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the age of the rock if a granite sample contains 5 grams of parent radioactive isotope and 35 grams of daughter after decay, with a half-life of 300,000 years?
Signup and view all the answers
Geologists found an igneous rock containing radioactive isotope A with a half-life of 400,000 years. If the ratio is 1/16 parent to 15/16 daughter, what is the age of the rock?
Signup and view all the answers
Study Notes
Radioactive Dating Concepts
- Half-life Definition: The time required for half of a radioactive parent isotope to decay into daughter isotopes.
Significant Examples of Dating
-
Starting with 20.0 grams of a radioactive parent isotope results in 1.25 grams of parent and 18.75 grams of daughter after 1,800,000 years, indicating a half-life of 450,000 years.
-
For a rock determined to be 1,600,000 years old, if the half-life of an isotope is 400,000 years, the ratio of parent to daughter is calculated to be 1/16 parent and 15/16 daughter.
-
An igneous rock with a ratio of 1/64 parent to 63/64 daughter and aged at 1,800,000 years indicates a half-life of 300,000 years.
Age Determination Insights
-
A radioactive isotope A with a half-life of 500,000 years found to be 1/16 parent and 15/16 daughter suggests the rock's age is 2,000,000 years.
-
For a rock aged 3,000,000 years with a ratio of 1/32 parent to 31/32 daughter, the half-life of its radioactive isotope is 600,000 years.
-
In a sample containing 5 grams of parent and 15 grams of daughter, the rock's age of 1,800,000 years correlates with a half-life of 900,000 years.
Sample Calculations
-
If starting with 20.0 grams of parent isotope and the rock is 1,000,000 years old with a 200,000-year half-life, the calculation reflects on the amounts of parent and daughter isotopes produced.
-
For 5 grams of parent and 35 grams of daughter in a granite sample with a half-life of 300,000 years, the corresponding rock age is determined to be 900,000 years.
Consistency of Results
- The findings are consistent across various samples, demonstrating the predictive power of half-life in absolute dating techniques, providing essential and precise estimates of geological timeframes.
Studying That Suits You
Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.
Description
Test your knowledge on absolute dating and half-life concepts with this quiz. Explore how radioactive isotopes help determine the age of rocks, and cement your understanding of these fundamental geological principles.
