The half-life of carbon-14 is 5370 years. The carbon-14 levels in a fossil indicate that 6 half-lives have passed.

Question

How old is the fossil?

50,000 years

32,220 years

35,000 years

75,200 years

Answer 1

The age of the fossil can be calculated by multiplying the half-life of carbon-14 by the number of half-lives that have passed.

6 half-lives x 5370 years per half-life = 32,220 years

Therefore, the fossil is 32,220 years old. The closest answer is 32,500 years.