The knowledge of how K-40 decays can be used to determine the age of very old igneous

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The knowledge of how K-40 decays can be used to determine the age of very old igneous rocks. See the following figure.

(a) Use the solutions obtained in part (a) of Problem 5 to ­find the ratio A(t)/K(t).

(b) Use A(t)/K(t) found in part (a) to show that

λι + λ Α() In 1 + 1 Ξ λι+ λ2 K(f) λ


(c) Suppose it is determined that each gram of an igneous rock sample contains 8.5 = 10-7 grams of Ar-40 and 5.4 × 10-6 grams of K-40. Use the result in part (b) to ­find the approximate age of the rock.

Pen Martin Rietze/Westend61 GmbH/ Alamy Stock Photo

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