Carbon-14

What is Carbon-14?

Carbon-14 is a special kind of carbon that scientists use to tell how old things are. It was first found in 1940 by Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben at the University of California Radiation Laboratory in Berkeley, California. This discovery helped scientists learn about history by figuring out the age of old objects like fossils and artifacts.

How Does Carbon-14 Work?

There are three main kinds of carbon: carbon-12, carbon-13, and carbon-14. Carbon-12 is the most common, and carbon-14 is very rare. Carbon-14 slowly changes over time into nitrogen-14. Scientists use this change to find out how long ago something lived or was made.

Why is Carbon-14 Important?

Carbon-14 is made high up in the sky when tiny particles from space hit the air. This process creates carbon-14, which mixes around the world. Scientists use a method called radiocarbon dating to measure how much carbon-14 is left in old things. This helps us learn about the past by telling us how long ago plants and animals lived.

Carbon-14 can also be used in medicine to help find problems. It stays about the same amount in living things as in the air, making it very useful for scientists.