Different Isotopes Are Useful in Different Dating Processes

question 155

Multiple Choice

Different isotopes are useful in different dating processes. Suppose we wished to determine the age of an object which we suspect to be approximately 10,000 years old. An isotope with which of the following half-lives would be most appropriate for this project?

• A) 50 years
• B) 500 years
• C) 5,000 years
• D) 50,000 years

---

Definitions:

Margin of Error

An estimate of the amount of possible error in the results of a survey or poll, often expressed as a percentage.

Confidence Coefficient

The probability that a confidence interval will contain the true parameter value.

Population Proportion

The portion of members in a population that exhibit a specific characteristic, typically expressed as a fraction or percentage.

Population Variance

A measure of the dispersion of a set of data points in a population, indicating how much the members of the population differ from the mean value.