The method used by geologists and archaeologists to determine the age of ancient fossil fossils is called "carbon dating." But it is important to know how this scientific method of determining the age of an object works.

The Basics of Carbon

We know that all living things, plants and animals, are a combination of hydrocarbons. That is, their body contains cells containing hydrogen and carbon. Carbon is an atom that has six protons and six neutrons in its nucleus, but not all carbon atoms are the same. 

Carbon isotope ratio

There are also some carbon atoms that have seven or eight neutrons in their nucleus. Thus, the three forms of carbon are called carbon-12, carbon-13, and carbon-14. In our natural environment, carbon-12 is much more abundant than carbon-13 and carbon-14. Suppose we find from experiment that if there are 1000 atoms of carbon-12 in any sample of air, there is only one atom of carbon-14. So this ratio of carbon-12 to carbon-14 will be found in all living things that use air for respiration. 

The Process of Carbon-14 Decay

A good thing is that carbon-14 is radioactive, and over time it becomes a nitrogen atom. It is this radiant quality that helps us. If you have a sample of bone from an animal that has a ratio of carbon-12 to carbon-14 of 1,000 to one, you will know that the bone is brand new because it has the same ratio of carbon-12 to carbon-14 as it was. It's in the air. 

But if you have a bone that has a thousand carbon-12 atoms but not a single carbon-14 atom, you will know that this bone is five thousand years old. Five thousand years ago, this bone had the same ratio of carbon-12 and carbon-14 as in the atmosphere, but with the passage of time, the carbon-14 atom changed into nitrogen, and now only carbon-12 atoms remain in this sample. Thus, the age of any rock or fossil can be estimated by carbon dating.

We can also understand that the nitrogen gas in the upper atmosphere of our earth changes its nuclear structure due to the fast and red rays coming from the sun or other stars and becomes radioactive carbon-14. But joins the atmosphere. As these carbon atoms cannot stay in this form for long, they combine with oxygen to form carbon dioxide. Trees and plants absorb carbon dioxide. Other animals eat plants. These animals are eaten by carnivores. Thus, carbon-14 enters our food chain.

How Radiocarbon Dating Works

Radiocarbon dating uses the number of carbon atoms present in natural materials to estimate how long it has taken for the material to decompose or break down into components. 87 In fact, each gas in the atmosphere has a specific ratio. This particular ratio is more or less always the same. If not, we cannot breathe in this atmosphere. This particular proportion of air through respiration is present in the body of all living beings in the same manner.

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When an organism dies, the process of decomposition begins due to the process of chemical decomposition, and this ratio starts changing. Radioactive elements decompose in a certain ratio. The process of their decomposition is time-bound. That is, only a certain amount will be decomposed in a certain time. Thus, when the number of radioactive carbon atoms present in a substance is seen, it can be estimated how much time has passed for this substance to decay. This careful estimation is called "radiocarbon dating.".

Reliability of Carbon Dating

Many people have concerns about how reliable carbon dating is or how old it can tell the age of objects. They say that the carbon dating method is not reliable. But the majority of scientists believe it to be accurate, and if the sample quantity and quality are good, about 95 percent of the results are accurate.