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

.57 = 1(1/2)^(t/5730)
log both sides

log .57 = log (.5)^(t/5730)
log .57 = t/5730 (log .5)
t/5730 = log .57/log .5
t/5730 = .810966
t = 4646.8

appr. 4647 years