What Do You Know About Carbon Dating?

Reviewed by Editorial Team
The ProProfs editorial team is comprised of experienced subject matter experts. They've collectively created over 10,000 quizzes and lessons, serving over 100 million users. Our team includes in-house content moderators and subject matter experts, as well as a global network of rigorously trained contributors. All adhere to our comprehensive editorial guidelines, ensuring the delivery of high-quality content.
Learn about Our Editorial Process
| By Cripstwick
C
Cripstwick
Community Contributor
Quizzes Created: 635 | Total Attempts: 840,675
| Attempts: 303 | Questions: 10
Please wait...
Question 1 / 10
0 %
0/100
Score 0/100
1. The half-life of carbon-14 is... 

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.

Submit
Please wait...
About This Quiz
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.

Personalize your quiz and earn a certificate with your name on it!
2. Carbon dating is a method for determining the age of an object containing... 

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.

Submit
3. Carbon-14 is formed from...

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.

Submit
4. Libby received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in....

Explanation

not-available-via-ai

Submit
5. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his method to use carbon-14 for age determination in..." (all of these except)

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.

Submit
6. The founder was born in...

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.

Submit
7. In which year did Libby move to the University of Chicago where he began his work on radiocarbon dating? 

Explanation

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

Submit
8. The method was developed by Willard Libby in the late...

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.
Submit
9. The founder resigned from the AEC in...

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.

Submit
10. The founder expanded on it in his monograph Radiocarbon Dating in...

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.

Submit
View My Results

Quiz Review Timeline (Updated): Apr 4, 2024 +

Our quizzes are rigorously reviewed, monitored and continuously updated by our expert board to maintain accuracy, relevance, and timeliness.

  • Current Version
  • Apr 04, 2024
    Quiz Edited by
    ProProfs Editorial Team
  • Mar 09, 2018
    Quiz Created by
    Cripstwick
Cancel
  • All
    All (10)
  • Unanswered
    Unanswered ()
  • Answered
    Answered ()
The half-life of carbon-14 is... 
Carbon dating is a method for determining the age of an object...
Carbon-14 is formed from...
Libby received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in....
He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his method to...
The founder was born in...
In which year did Libby move to the University of Chicago where he...
The method was developed by Willard Libby in the late...
The founder resigned from the AEC in...
The founder expanded on it in his monograph Radiocarbon Dating in...
Alert!

Advertisement