User:Chiswick Chap/Comprehension

Radiocarbon Dating Comprehension Questions

The section titles below are the names of sections in the WikiJournal of Science article Radiocarbon Dating, and the questions in each section apply to the matching section of the article.

Principles
The Principles section describes the relationship of carbon in plants or animals with carbon in the atmosphere.


 * Explain in non-technical English prose why the exchange of carbon between living things and the non-living environment is important for radiocarbon dating.


 * Why is mean-life used here rather than the more familiar half-life?

Atmospheric variation

 * What explanations were possible for the difference between the historical chronology of Egyptian dynasties and radiocarbon dating?


 * What do tree rings record that is useful for carbon dating?


 * What impact does the burning of fossil fuels have on estimates of age based on carbon isotope ratios?


 * Why did nuclear testing affect radiocarbon dating?

Isotopic fractionation

 * What effect does the unusual diet of North Ronaldsay sheep have on their carbon isotope content?