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Radioisotopes Used By Using Carbon Dating Archaeologic Species

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Radioisotopes
What are isotopes?
Isotopes are similar to elements in that they need the same formation as they do. Isotopes need a nucleus made of protons and neutrons and a surrounding shell containing electrons. But what separates Isotopes from elements is the fact that they have the same number of protons as an electron but have a different number of neutrons. As the atomic number is the mass is the number of protons and the atomic mass is the weight of protons and neutrons we can therefore say they have the same atomic number as an element but have different mass numbers. For example Aericium 241 is an isotope we se used in evry day common objects such as smoke detectors.
How are isotopes used in dating Archaeologic species?’
A way archaeologists can determine how old something is by using Carbon Dating. When an archaeologists wants to find out how old a certain object may be they look for specific isotopes in the object as it can give them an estimate of how old they object would be. We know that every isotope has a specific life span assigned to them. Such as Americium 241 it has a half-life of 432 years therefor if an archaeologists found an object with Americium 241 in it they would know the object is about 432 years old. For more information on carbon dating …show more content…

A Radioactive isotopes undergo a process of “radioactive Decay” there are three types of decay the first being Alpha, beta and Gamma Radiation. Each form of radioactive decay is different; Alpha radiation is produced by an atom in the form of two protons and two neutrons, and is often called a Helium atom, even though it does not have the properties of Helium. Throughout the beta decay process, an electron is released from the atom. Whereas Gamma radiation, is different in the way that it is not a particle, but pure energy. Although Alpha and Beta both consist of different levels of gamma

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There have been experimental pits dug around the tomb but the tomb itself has never been excavated. By looking at the Roman Catacombs, it is seen that the past influences modern day activities. Relative dating does not provide actual dates for objects, although it can be used to arrange geological events. Through looking at strata it is able to look at timeline events and arrange them chronologically.

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An isotope is an element with a different number of neutrons in its nucleus. Countless variations of isotopes exist in the world with various applications in different fields. One such isotope is Uranium 235 which is most known for its use in the Uranium Bomb, a massive bomb capable of destroying entire cities. It is found naturally in the environment and can be made from U238.

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• Absolute dating refers to an age given in years, not relative terms • Radiometric dating is a common technique used to determine the absolute age of a fossil based on the decay of radioactive isotopes o “parent” isotope –> decays –> “daughter” isotope • Half-life expresses the rate of decay, the time required for 50% of the parent isotope to decay o Each radioactive isotope has its own unique half-life • Isotopes of elements collect within organisms throughout the duration of their lives, and fossils contain these isotopes • For fossils up to 75,000 years old, it is possible to determine their age by measuring the ratio of carbon-14 to carbon-12 within those fossils o (ELABORATION: When a living organism with carbon-12 and carbon-14 dies, carbon is no longer accumulated –> the amount of carbon-12 within its tissues remains the same over time –> carbon-14 decays into nitrogen-14) • For older fossils, it is more difficult to determine their ages because they contain too little carbon-14; however, other radioactive isotopes with longer-half lives can be used, instead • The ages of older fossils in sedimentary rock can be indirectly measured by referring the half-life of the radioactive isotopes trapped in the surrounding

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