The process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation and transform into stable isotopes, e.g. 14C -> 14N
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Card 7
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The exponential rate at which radioactive decay occurs as displayed on a graph
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Card 8
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The number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of a carbon atom
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Card 9
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14C forms in the upper atmosphere when 14N is bombarded by...
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Card 10
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A method of measurement: the counting of beta particle emissions over a standard length of time
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Card 11
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A method of measurement: an accelerated mass spectrometer is used to count the number of 14C atoms present, instead relying on emission of their daughter products. Can process smaller samples, e.g. insect remains, individual seeds, etc.
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Rate of 14C production in the atmosphere is constant. 14C uptake by organisms is in equilibrium with their environment. No new 14C enter an organism after death, so the concentration is entirely a function of time since death. No "old" carbon is recycled
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Card 13
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Who won the Nobel prize for developing this technique in the 1940s?
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Card 14
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Calculates an age in years for geologic materials by measuring the presence of a short-life radioactive element, e.g. 14C. A type of this dating method is radiocarbon (14C) dating.
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Card 15
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This technique allows the construction of year-by-year annual chronologies which can be temporally fixed (linked to the present day) or floating, e.g. dendrochronology
