Which of the following is correct regarding the dating of fossils with radioisotope decay?

A. Decay is uniform, and there is no limit to the measurement technique aside from the quantity of sample taken.
B. There is always an upper limit to how far back the decay can be measured, and the closer to the present, the more accurate we can be.
C. There is always a lower limit to how far back the decay can be measured, and the further from the present, the more accurate we can be.
D. For short-life isotopes, there is an upper limit when the amount of radioactive isotope is too small to measure; with long-life isotopes, there is a limit on how near the recent they are since too little decay has occurred.
E. For long-life isotopes, there is an upper limit when the amount of radioactive isotope is too small to measure; with short-life isotopes, there is a limit on how near the recent they are since too little decay has occurred.


Ans: D. For short-life isotopes, there is an upper limit when the amount of radioactive isotope is too small to measure; with long-life isotopes, there is a limit on how near the recent they are since too little decay has occurred.

Biology & Microbiology

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