Radioactive Decay Quiz

What does carbon-14 decay into?

• Nitrogen
• Lead
• Uranium
• Cobalt

Scientists use radioactive decay to measure...

• relative time
• absolute time
• half-lives
• time of day

What happens during radioactive decay?

• A stable isotope of one element changes into an unstable isotope of a different element
• A stable isotope of one element changes into an unstable isotope of the same element
• An unstable isotope of one element changes into a stable isotope of a different element
• An unstable isotope of one element changes into a stable isotope of the same element

Which of the following would carbon dating not be used for?

• bones
• teeth
• rock

Radiometric dating is possible because the rates of decay of radioactive isotopes _____.

• change over time
• change from place to place
• are constant
• vary widely

If the half-life of a radioactive group of atoms is 100 years, then how old is the rock if there have been two half-lives?

• 25 years
• 200 years
• 400 years
• 800 years

What percentage of Rubidium-87 will remain after 4 half-lives?

• 25%

• 12.5%

• 6.25%

• 3.125%