Read Types of Radiometric Dating Pages 72-73 in Text

Radiometric Dating Activity

Procedures: How to determine the Absolute Age by Radiometric Dating 1. Determine the Half-life of the radioactive isotope (textbook/given) 2. Observe the ratio of radioactive to daughter atoms to figure out # of half- lives. 3. Do the math: Half Life x Half Lives = Age

Half Life 0 1 2 3 4 Percentage of Radioactive Atoms

Read Types of Radiometric Dating pages 72-73 in text. Answer the following questions below:

1. What is the half-life of Potassium-40? ______1a. If a rock sample contained ¼ (25%) of Potassium-40 and ¾ (75%) of its daughter element Argon, how old is the rock sample? Hint: How many half-lives as the Potassium-40 went through?

2. What is the half-life of Uranium-238? ______2a. If a rock sample contained ½ (50%) of Uraniumm-238 and ½ of its daughter element Lead-206, how old is the rock sample?

3. What is the Half Life of Carbon-14? ______3a. If a fossil sample contained 12.5grams of Carbon-14 and 87.5grams of it’s stable daughter element Carbon-12, how old is the fossil specimen?