What Do You Know About Carbon Dating?

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Questions: 10 | Attempts: 291 | Updated: Apr 4, 2024

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What Do You Know About Carbon Dating? - Quiz

Carbon dating, carbon-14 dating, or radiocarbon dating uses the properties of a radioactive isotope of carbon known as radiocarbon to determine the age of an object containing certain materials. Take this quiz to find out more.

Questions and Answers

1.

The method was developed by Willard Libby in the late...
- A.
  
  1920's
- B.
  
  1930's
- C.
  
  1940's
- D.
  
  1950's
Correct Answer
C. 1940's

Explanation
Willard Libby developed the carbon dating method, also known as radiocarbon dating, in the late 1940s. This method measures the amount of radioactive carbon-14 in organic materials to estimate their age. Because carbon-14 decays at a consistent rate over time, by assessing how much is left in a sample compared to what's expected to be present in the atmosphere, scientists can estimate the time since the organism's death, up to about 50,000 years. This breakthrough allowed for precise dating of archaeological and geological samples.

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2.

Libby received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in....
- A.
  
  1950
- B.
  
  1960
- C.
  
  1970
- D.
  
  1980
Correct Answer
B. 1960
3.

In which year did Libby move to the University of Chicago where he began his work on radiocarbon dating?
- A.
  
  1945
- B.
  
  1946
- C.
  
  1947
- D.
  
  1948
Correct Answer
A. 1945

Explanation
Libby moved to the University of Chicago in 1945 where he began his work on radiocarbon dating.

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4.

Carbon-14 is formed from...
- A.
  
  Oxygen
- B.
  
  Nitrogen
- C.
  
  Sodium
- D.
  
  Carbon (II) oxide
Correct Answer
B. Nitrogen

Explanation
Carbon-14 is formed from nitrogen. This is because carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope of carbon, and it is produced in the upper atmosphere when cosmic rays collide with nitrogen atoms. These collisions cause a neutron to be ejected from the nitrogen atom, resulting in the formation of carbon-14.

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5.

Carbon dating is a method for determining the age of an object containing...
- A.
  
  Inorganic materials
- B.
  
  Organic materials
- C.
  
  Both
- D.
  
  None
Correct Answer
B. Organic materials

Explanation
Carbon dating is a method that relies on the decay of carbon-14 isotopes in organic materials to determine their age. Carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope that is present in the atmosphere and is absorbed by plants through photosynthesis. When an organism dies, it no longer takes in carbon-14, and the existing carbon-14 in its tissues begins to decay at a known rate. By measuring the remaining amount of carbon-14 in a sample, scientists can estimate the age of the organic material. Therefore, carbon dating is only applicable to organic materials and not inorganic materials.

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6.

The founder was born in...
- A.
  
  1908
- B.
  
  1909
- C.
  
  1910
- D.
  
  1911
Correct Answer
A. 1908

Explanation
The correct answer is 1908 because the question asks for the year in which the founder was born. Therefore, we can conclude that the founder was born in 1908.

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7.

The founder resigned from the AEC in...
- A.
  
  1957
- B.
  
  1958
- C.
  
  1959
- D.
  
  1960
Correct Answer
C. 1959

Explanation
The correct answer is 1959. This means that the founder of the AEC (presumably a person or organization) resigned from their position in that year.

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8.

The half-life of carbon-14 is...
- A.
  
  5,730±40 years
- B.
  
  5,630±40 years
- C.
  
  5,710±40 years
- D.
  
  5,720±40 years
Correct Answer
A. 5,730±40 years

Explanation
The correct answer is 5,730±40 years. This means that it takes approximately 5,730 years for half of the carbon-14 in a sample to decay. The ±40 years represents the margin of error in the measurement.

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9.

The founder expanded on it in his monograph Radiocarbon Dating in...
- A.
  
  1952
- B.
  
  1953
- C.
  
  1954
- D.
  
  1955
Correct Answer
D. 1955

Explanation
The founder of radiocarbon dating expanded on the topic in his monograph titled "Radiocarbon Dating" in 1955. This suggests that the information and advancements related to radiocarbon dating were published and made widely available in that year.

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10.

He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his method to use carbon-14 for age determination in..." (all of these except)
- A.
  
  Archaeology
- B.
  
  Ethnography
- C.
  
  Geophysics
- D.
  
  Geology
Correct Answer
B. EthnograpHy

Explanation
The correct answer is Ethnography. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded for the development of the method to use carbon-14 for age determination in archaeological and geological materials. Ethnography, which is the study of different cultures and societies, does not involve age determination using carbon-14.

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