A Bone Is Dug Up and Analyzed and Found to Contain

question 54

Multiple Choice

A bone is dug up and analyzed and found to contain 1/16-- one sixteenth-- of the amount of ¹⁴C radioactivity of normal bones in living bodies. The half- life of ¹⁴C is 6000 years. Roughly how long has the individual been dead?

• A) 24, 000 years
• B) 30,000 years
• C) 6000 years
• D) 36,000 years
• E) Impossible to tell from the given information.

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Definitions:

Foot

The lower extremity of the leg below the ankle, on which a person stands or walks.

Antebrachial Region

The region of the human body that corresponds to the forearm, extending from the elbow to the wrist.

Forearm

The part of the arm located between the elbow and the wrist, composed of two bones (the radius and ulna) and various muscles.

Cervical Region

The cervical region refers to the neck portion of the spine, comprising the first seven vertebrae.