Imagine a geologist discovers a sample of rock containing 80 grams of Lokium and 20 grams of its daughter isotope, DOL. Knowing that the half-life of Lokium is 2,000 years allows the geologist to model the radioactive decay process. Initially, when the rock formed, it would have contained only Lokium. After one half-life (2,000 years), half of the original Lokium would have decayed into DOL, resulting in 40 grams of Lokium and 40 grams of DOL. After another half-life (4,000 years), 20 grams of Lokium would remain, and 60 grams of DOL would have been produced. With the current amounts of 80 grams of Lokium and 20 grams of DOL, the geologist can calculate that 20 grams of Lokium has decayed into DOL, indicating that approximately 4,000 years have passed since the rock formed. Therefore, the absolute age of the rock is determined to be 4,000 years, providing a precise timeframe for its geological context.
Having studied the data for patterns and trends, you should now be able to draw some conclusions about how knowing the half-life of the element Lokium would help you determine the absolute age of rock in which this element is found. In a paragraph, create an imaginary example of finding a given amount of Lokium and DOL in a rock, and then determining the absolute age of that rock. Assume that each trial represents 1,000 years.
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