A support pole for an ancient structure is found to have one-fifth of the carbon-14 of a modern, living tree. How long ago did the tree used to make the support pole die? Give your answer to the nearest whole number.

Answer 1

look up the half-life of carbon 14 (it's around 5400 yrs)

(1/2)^(time / half-life) = 1/5

(time / half-life) * log(1/2) = log(1/5)

Answer 2

poor example!