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Discover how scientists use radioactive decay and isotopes to determine the age of rocks through radiometric dating. Learn about isotopes, half-life, and carbon-14 dating methods. Decode the secrets hidden within rocks to unveil the Earth's history.
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Aim: How do scientists read rocks for an exact age? Do Now: Think about this… If you were standing 10 feet from the wall, and I asked you to walk half the distance to the wall, how close would you be? If I asked you to repeat this process, would you ever reach the wall?
DO NOT COPY Basic Atomic Structure • Electrons – orbit the nucleus. • Protons – are in the atom’s nucleus. Neutrons - are in the atom’s nucleus.
I. Isotopes - the unstable form of an element (more neutrons than it should which makes it Radioactive) UNSTABLE STABLE UNSTABLE
II. Radioactivityrefers to energy and particles (neutrons) emitted from unstable isotopes. This process is known as Radioactive Decay. (makes the element stable) (Isotope)
III. Radioactive Decay • Not affected by outside factors! • Isotopes (unstable) decay into new stable elements. • These Isotopes and their new elements are found in rocks and can be measured. • We call the Radioactive Isotopes, Parents. • Decayed elements are called Daughters.
- Knowing the rate of decay and the ratio of Parent Isotopes to Daughter elements, we can figure out how old the object is. IV. Using Radioactive Decay: (Radioactive dating, Radiometric Dating, Carbon dating, Absolute Dating) • Half – Life - time required for50% of the Parent Isotopesto decay into daughter elements. cover of your ESRT.
Which color dot represents the Parent elements? Which represents the Daughters?
V. Carbon-14 • Used to date most recent organic material. (organisms and plants) • Shortest half-life. • Found in people
Examples: Use your ESRT How many years will it take for two half-lives to pass of C14? What % of C14 will remain at this point? Which isotope has the longest half life? What is it? 11,400 yrs 25% C14 will remain Rubidium-87 (87Rb)
If you can see in a rock sample there is 25% (1/4) C14 and 75% (3/4) N14, the sample must have gone through how many half-lives? Two half-lives. How old is this sample? 11,400 yrs old.
A student found a fossil and by looking at the radioactive decay of C14 she found there to be 1/16th of C14 remaining in the fossil. How many half lives has this sample gone through? The sample has gone through 4 half-lives
THE CHART THAT MAKES HALF-LIFE EASIER Half-Life % Parent Remaining Number of years 0 1/1 0 1 1/2 5,700 2 1/4 11,400 3 1/8 17,100 4 1/16 22,800
Closure: Take out the worksheet you took from the back