Carbon-14 has a half-life of approximately 5,730 years. To determine the age of the bone, we need to find out how many half-lives it has gone through to reach 1/8 of the original amount.
- Each half-life reduces the amount of Carbon-14 by half:
- After 1 half-life: 1/2
- After 2 half-lives: 1/4
- After 3 half-lives: 1/8
Since the bone contains 1/8 of the original Carbon-14, it has gone through 3 half-lives.
Calculating the total age:
- 3 half-lives × 5,730 years/half-life = 17,190 years
Therefore, the approximate age of the bone is 17,190 years (d).