Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A sample of rock contains mg of uranium-238 and mg of lead-206. Assume that all the lead-206 came from the uranium-238, and that none was there when the rock formed. The molar masses are g/mol and g/mol, and the half-life of uranium-238 is years. Find the ratio of the number of lead atoms to the number of uranium atoms, and the age of the rock.
The activity of a sample falls as , so the age is . For uranium-lead dating, , with numbers of atoms. A year is s.
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Plan. The law is about numbers of atoms, so first change the masses into numbers of moles.
Step 1. The moles. Uranium: mol. Lead: mol.
Step 2. The ratio. .
Step 3. The age. and . So . Then y.
Answer: , and an age of years.
Watch out. If you used the ratio of masses, , you would get years, which is too small. The two kinds of atom have different masses.
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