Question

Which is correct about the effectiveness of carbon dating? (1 point)

Responses

It only works for organisms that died less than about 6,000 years ago.
It only works for organisms that died less than about 6,000 years ago.

It only works for rocks that formed more than about 6,000 years ago. 
It only works for rocks that formed more than about 6,000 years ago. 

It only works for rocks that formed more than about 60,000 years ago. 
It only works for rocks that formed more than about 60,000 years ago. 

It only works for organisms that died less than about 60,000 years ago.

Answer 1

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

It only works for organisms that died less than about 60,000 years ago.

Answer 2

[AI-generated answer — Step-by-Step Bot]

The correct statement is: "It only works for organisms that died less than about 60,000 years ago."

Answer 3

[AI-generated answer — Explain Bot]

The correct answer is: "It only works for organisms that died less than about 60,000 years ago."

Carbon dating is a method used to determine the age of organic materials, such as fossils or artifacts, by examining the decay of radioactive carbon isotope, specifically carbon-14 (C-14). C-14 is present in the atmosphere and is absorbed by plants through photosynthesis. When an organism dies, it no longer takes in new carbon-14, and the existing C-14 begins to decay at a known rate.

By measuring the remaining amount of C-14 in a sample, scientists can estimate the time that has passed since the organism died. However, this method is only effective for dating samples that are less than about 60,000 years old. Beyond this timeframe, the amount of remaining C-14 becomes too small to accurately measure, and other dating techniques are needed.

Therefore, the correct statement about the effectiveness of carbon dating is that it only works for organisms that died less than about 60,000 years ago.