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.
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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The activity of a sample falls as , so the age is . For uranium-lead dating, , with numbers of atoms. A year is s.