Lab Report Atomic Dating
Lab Report
Atomic Dating Using Isotopes
Answer the following questions about the results of this activity. Record your answers in the boxes.
Send your completed lab report to your instructor. Don’t forget to save your lab report to your computer!
Reference: Isotope Half-Life Chart
Isotope
Product
Half Life
Carbon-14
Nitrogen-14
5730 years
Potassium - 40
Argon - 40
1,280 million years
Rubidium - 87
Strontium -8 7
48,800 million years
Thorium - 232
Lead – 208
14,010 million years
Uranium - 235 Lead - 297
704 million years
Uranium - 238 Lead - 206
4,470 million years
Activity 1 – Calibration
Place your data from Activity 1 in the appropriate boxes below. Calculate the age of the calibration standards using the following information.
Fraction of sample remaining = remaining ppm of sample/initial ppm of sample
Age of sample = half-life value of isotope X number of half-lives elapsed
Calibration Standard
Initial ppm
Remaining ppm
Age of Standard
Low
Carbon-14
12000
5998
6000
High
Uranium-235
600000
151000
150000
1. Explain if the instrument appears to be calibrated based on the data you obtained for the Low Calibration Standard.
2. Explain if the instrument appears to be calibrated based on the data you obtained for the High Calibration Standard.
3. Explain which would be the best isotope from the Isotope Half-Life Chart to measure a 3 billion year old specimen.
Debra Holt
Carbon dating is very useful in learning to understand the changes in our
world, and the changes that life has gone through. I have learned that using different
isotopes are not always the best because some isotopes have very
Atomic Dating Using Isotopes
Answer the following questions about the results of this activity. Record your answers in the boxes.
Send your completed lab report to your instructor. Don’t forget to save your lab report to your computer!
Reference: Isotope Half-Life Chart
Isotope
Product
Half Life
Carbon-14
Nitrogen-14
5730 years
Potassium - 40
Argon - 40
1,280 million years
Rubidium - 87
Strontium -8 7
48,800 million years
Thorium - 232
Lead – 208
14,010 million years
Uranium - 235 Lead - 297
704 million years
Uranium - 238 Lead - 206
4,470 million years
Activity 1 – Calibration
Place your data from Activity 1 in the appropriate boxes below. Calculate the age of the calibration standards using the following information.
Fraction of sample remaining = remaining ppm of sample/initial ppm of sample
Age of sample = half-life value of isotope X number of half-lives elapsed
Calibration Standard
Initial ppm
Remaining ppm
Age of Standard
Low
Carbon-14
12000
5998
6000
High
Uranium-235
600000
151000
150000
1. Explain if the instrument appears to be calibrated based on the data you obtained for the Low Calibration Standard.
2. Explain if the instrument appears to be calibrated based on the data you obtained for the High Calibration Standard.
3. Explain which would be the best isotope from the Isotope Half-Life Chart to measure a 3 billion year old specimen.
Debra Holt
Carbon dating is very useful in learning to understand the changes in our
world, and the changes that life has gone through. I have learned that using different
isotopes are not always the best because some isotopes have very