How do scientists use radioactive elements to determine the actual age of fossils?
Hello, (ANS) Radio Carbon dating can be used to determine the actual age of a fossil or rock by accurately measuring the amount of a radio active substance within the rock or fossil item. **The amount of radio active substance (the amount of radio active particles) present in the rock or fossil is one element in finding its age. **The second element is that each radio active substance has a known frequency or known rate of delay (that is that each radio active substance decays at a known rate) and it is the rate of radio active decay that gives away the fossil or rocks age. **Carbon decays at a known or identifiable rate & thus the amount of carbon can give an identification of the items age. **Carbon is not the only radio active isotope that can be used in dating the age of an item. Its just one of the most common ones.
