Radiocarbon dating

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/radiocarbon-dating

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific principle?Radioactive decay of carbon-14 isotope
2. What is the discoverer?Willard Libby
3. What is radiocarbon dating and how does it work?Radiocarbon dating uses a special kind of carbon called carbon‑14. When a living thing dies, it stops taking in new carbon‑14, and the existing carbon‑14 slowly turns back into nitrogen. By measuring how much carbon‑14 is left, scientists can figure out how long ago the thing died.
4. Who invented radiocarbon dating and why was it important?A scientist named Willard Libby invented radiocarbon dating in 1949. His work gave scientists a way to find the exact age of old organic objects, which was a huge help for archaeology and history.

Isotope: Atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons, thus different atomic masses.
Radioactive Decay: The spontaneous process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by emitting radiation.
Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS): A highly sensitive technique for measuring isotopic ratios, enabling dating of very small samples.
Calibration Curve: A graph used to convert raw radiocarbon ages into calendar ages, accounting for past atmospheric ¹⁴C variations.