Carbon-14 Dating Calculator

Carbon-14 dating uses the known half-life of C-14 to determine age:

Age = -8267 × ln(Remaining C-14 / 100)

Or equivalently:

Age = (Half-Life / ln(2)) × ln(100 / Remaining %)

Key facts:

• C-14 half-life: 5,730 years
• Living organisms maintain a constant C-14 level
• After death, C-14 decays at a predictable rate
• Effective dating range: up to ~50,000 years

Remaining C-14 by age:

• 100%: 0 years (living/recently deceased)
• 50%: 5,730 years (1 half-life)
• 25%: 11,460 years (2 half-lives)
• 12.5%: 17,190 years (3 half-lives)
• 1%: ~38,000 years

Note: Calibration curves are needed for precise dating due to historical variations in atmospheric C-14.