Because carbon14 is continuously renewed as long as we live (through eating and such if I remember well). It's only when we die that the process stops and that decay accumulates.
As long as an organism is alive, it is continuously taking in new Carbon-14, so the measurable decay doesn’t start until death. www.britannica.com/science/carbon-14-dating
It's a long chain of data: animals get carbon from plants, plants get the carbon from the CO2 in the atmosphere. So one needs to find what percentage of C14 was in the atmosphere. Typically C14 is very rare, but it changes due to variations in solar radiation. To help with the latter one can use dendrochronology to measure the change in C14. Etc.
From what I have learned... It's the measured parent to daughter Ratio that is important for determining the number of half-lives that have passed... so knowing the original amount of parent is not necessary.
Perfectly explained, thank you so much
Harris David Garcia Steven Harris Deborah
Why is carbon not decayed already when the mammoth is still alive?
Because carbon14 is continuously renewed as long as we live (through eating and such if I remember well).
It's only when we die that the process stops and that decay accumulates.
As long as an organism is alive, it is continuously taking in new Carbon-14, so the measurable decay doesn’t start until death. www.britannica.com/science/carbon-14-dating
Tysm im currently studying for a test tomorrow this was very helpful
Thank you
Soooo helpfull
Very nicely and slowly explained. Now how do we know the amount of C14 the bone started with? Next video?
It's a long chain of data: animals get carbon from plants, plants get the carbon from the CO2 in the atmosphere. So one needs to find what percentage of C14 was in the atmosphere. Typically C14 is very rare, but it changes due to variations in solar radiation. To help with the latter one can use dendrochronology to measure the change in C14. Etc.
@@TheDanEdwards Yes, and that is an essential part of decay dating, and should be explained.
From what I have learned... It's the measured parent to daughter Ratio that is important for determining the number of half-lives that have passed... so knowing the original amount of parent is not necessary.