Carbon 14 (Radioactive Isotopes) trivia

Carbon 14 (Radioactive Isotopes) Mini Quiz

Test your knowledge with these top questions!

Question 1

Carbon-14 dating primarily estimates the age of which material?

Living organisms exchange carbon while alive; after death, carbon-14 steadily decays and leaves an age-related signal.

Question 2

Carbon-14 changes into which element during radioactive decay?

A beta-minus decay changes one neutron into a proton, turning carbon-14 into stable nitrogen-14.

Question 3

Carbon-14 enters living organisms mainly because cosmic rays do what?

Cosmic rays trigger reactions in the upper atmosphere that convert nitrogen atoms into carbon-14.

Question 4

In carbon-14, what does the number 14 represent?

Carbon-14 has six protons and eight neutrons, so its mass number is 14.