A modern carbon sample gives 85 counts per minute in a detector, whereas an ancient wooden sample of identical carbon content gives 25 counts per minute. The detector background is 5 counts per minute in both cases. If the half-life of carbon-14 is 5730 years, find the age of the wooden sample in years.
Physics · Nuclear physics · radioactivity and law of decay
A modern carbon sample gives 85 counts per minute in a detector, whereas an ancient wooden sample of identical carbon content gives 25 counts per minute. The detector background is 5 counts per minute in both cases. If the half-life of carbon-14 is 5730 years, find the age of the wooden sample in years.