Many Famous Artifacts Have Been Dated Using ¹⁴C Dating Techniques

question 1

Multiple Choice

Many famous artifacts have been dated using ¹⁴C dating techniques. One of these were the Dead Sea Scrolls or manuscripts. A decay rate of 0.20 Bq per gram of carbon was measured. If the half-life of ¹⁴C is 5730 years and there are about 15 decays per minute per gram of carbon in a living organism, then calculate the approximate age of the famous manuscripts.

• A) 2.7 × 10³ years
• B) 1.9 × 10³ years
• C) 1.3 × 10³ years
• D) 3.7 × 10⁴ years
• E) None of these is correct.