Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
Carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope of carbon that occurs naturally in the atmosphere and is used in carbon dating to determine the age of organic materials.
Related terms
Radioactive Isotope: A radioactive isotope is an atom with an unstable nucleus that undergoes radioactive decay.
Carbon Dating: Carbon dating uses the ratio of carbon-14 to stable carbon isotopes to determine the age of organic materials.
Decay Constant: The decay constant represents the probability per unit time that a given nucleus will undergo radioactive decay.