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| Radiocarbon dating |
Carbon dating, or radiocarbon dating, is a method used to determine the age of organic materials based on the rate of decay of carbon-14, a radioactive isotope of carbon. Carbon-14 is present in all living things in a constant amount, but when an organism dies, the carbon-14 begins to decay at a steady rate. By measuring the amount of carbon-14 remaining in a sample of organic material, scientists can estimate the age of the material.
Carbon dating is most commonly used to date archaeological artifacts, but it can also be used to determine the age of other materials, such as bones, teeth, and plants. The technique is based on the fact that carbon-14 decays at a constant rate over time, so by measuring the amount of carbon-14 in a sample, scientists can estimate how old the sample is.
