Choose the explanation that does the following: (1) identifies the element used in carbon dating and (2) explains why the element is used.
A. iodine-131; iodine is present in the thyroid glands, is radioactive, and has a very long half-life
B. nitrogen-14; radioactive carbon turns into this after beta decay
C. carbon-14; it is present in every living organism, is radioactive, and has a very long half-life
C. carbon-12; it is the most abundant element in every living organism
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Since it is called "carbon dating," you can automatically eliminate A and B. Whenever you don't know the right answer in multiple choice, you can get closer to the right answer by eliminating those that you know are wrong. The first C, carbon 14.
1 answer