Unit 8 Flashcard Review

Front

What is a half-life?

Back

The time required for half of the radioactive atoms in a sample to decay.

Front

How many half-lives have occurred if a sample has 8 parent isotopes and 24 daughter isotopes?

Back

2 half-lives.

Front

What is the product of radioactive decay called?

Back

Daughter element.

Front

What fusion process occurs early in a star's life?

Back

Hydrogen is converted into Helium.

Front

If a sample originally contained 100 grams of carbon-14 and now contains 12.5 grams, how many years ago was it part of a living tree?

Back

17,100 years.

Front

What did the Rosetta mission measure to help find out where Earth's water came from?

Back

The types of hydrogen in comet water.

Front

What is the significance of the daughter element in radioactive decay?

Back

It is the stable product formed after the parent isotope decays.

Front

What is the relationship between parent isotopes and daughter isotopes?

Back

Parent isotopes decay into daughter isotopes over time.

Front

How can we determine the age of a sample using carbon-14 dating?

Back

By measuring the remaining carbon-14 and calculating the number of half-lives that have passed.

Front

What is the half-life of carbon-14?

Back

5700 years.