Question

The burial cloth of an Egyptian mummy is estimated to contain 57% of the carbon-14 it contained originally. How long ago was the mummy buried? (The half-life of carbon-14 is 5730 years.)

Answer 1

Solve this equation:
(1/2)^(y/5730) = 0.57

y is the age in years.

Hint: take the log of both sides (to any base), and solve for y/5730.

Answer 2

y = 4650 years (rounded off)