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Radiometric Dating
Ch 23.6 words
Question | Answer |
---|---|
Isotope | Atoms of the same element with the same number of protons and different numbers of neutrons. |
Nucleus | The center of an atom, containing almost all of the mass. It consists of positively charged protons and neutral neutrons. |
Radioactive Isotope | An isotope with a nucleus that naturally decays over time. |
Radioactive Decay | The process by which a radioactive PARENT isotope breaks down into a stable DAUGHTER isotope. |
Parent Isotope | The radioactive isotope that decays |
Daughter Isotope | The stable element that is produced by radioactive decay. |
Half-life | The amount of TIME it takes for one half of the parent isotope to decay. |
Absolute Age | The specific number age of a rock. Calculated using radioactive isotopes. |
Carbon -14 | The radioactive isotope used to date rocks with organic materials like shells, bone, or wood. |