BRAINCAKERadiocarbon dating
Cosmic rays knock out neutrons in the atmosphere which then collide with nitrogen to form radioactive Carbon-14. These are incorporated into living plants through uptake of carbon dioxide in [photosynthesis, but when plants die the carbon is fixed in the plant tissues. No more carbon dioxide is taken up and any carbon-14 present decays into nitrogen. As a results the proportion of carbon-14 in plant tissues decreases.
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Key terms in this lesson
- half-life
- The average time taken for the number of nuclei of a radioactive isotope in a sample, or its activity, to halve.
- activity
- The number of nuclei of a radioactive isotope that disintegrate per second, measured in becquerels.
More in Radioactivity
- Radioactive Decay and Half-life
- Activity
- Radioactive Decay
- Decay Constant
- Argon Dating
- Radioactive Tracers
- Thickness monitoring and Engine Wear
- Power Sources
All 25 lessons in Radioactivity · All OCR A-level Physics topics