8Sci_RadiometricDati Word Scramble
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| Question | Answer |
| Which radioactive element would geologists most likely use to accurately calculate a 10,000 year old fossil's age? | carbon-14 with a half life of 5,700 years |
| Radioactive dating is used to study which element in igneous and metamorphic rocks? | uranium |
| Which method of radioactive dating would be used in determining the age of a human fossil? | carbon-14 |
| If the half-life of potassium-40 is 1.3 billion years and an igneous rock is found with 25% potassium-40, what is the absolute age of this rock? | 2.6 billion years |
| What method do scientists most often use in determining the age of the Earth? | they compare the amount of uranium and the amount of lead formed in radioactive dating of rock layers |
| Why is uranium used in radioactive dating? | it is a mildly radioactive substance that breaks down at a slow and steady pace which cannot be altered by temperature or pressure |
| Why does carbon-14 dating help scientists determine the approximate time a species became extinct? | carbon-14 decreases at a constant rate over time |
| Why is radioactive decay useful to scientists? | it is used to determine age of rocks because decay occurs at a constant rate |
| What is true about different isotope pairs used for radiometric dating? | they have different rates of decay |
| What is half-life? | the amount of time it takes for 1/2 of the radioactive isotope in a rock to decay |
| What is the radioactive isotope considered to be in rocks? | the parent isotope |
| What is it when radioactive elements release excess energy and decay into a more stable element? | the daughter isotope |
| What are isotopes? | atoms of the same element that have different atomic weights such as oxygen-18 and oxygen-16 |
| What are unstable isotopes usually? | radioactive |
Created by:
masonteach
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