(July 8, 2022 at 4:52 am)Brian37 Wrote:(July 8, 2022 at 4:44 am)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: I think you're asking about radiocarbon dating. If so, then both the isotope AND the amount of that isotope matter very much. Most radiocarbon dating is done by determining the amount of a specific isotope of carbon in the sample being tested. This is usually (but not always) carbon14, since the decay rates are well known. There's also a process called 'isotopic fractionation' which uses other carbon isotopes.
Boru
Ok so this is half and half understanding and misunderstanding on my part.
So that idiot who was claiming isotopes don't matter at all, he is full of shit because context does matter. It does depending on the context we are talking about. Thank you, I knew I wasn't going crazy.
An aside, every time I figure out what atomic weight is, I remember for a while, then forget. I hate that.
The claim that 'isotopes don't matter at all' is simply wrong. You need to use isotopes that have a half-life appropriate for whatever you're testing. For example, carbon14 has a half-life of 5700 years, which makes it useful for dating things like bones, clothing, wooden artifacts, etc., but makes it all but useless for dating things like rocks (there are isotopes of other elements used for that).
Boru
‘But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods or no gods. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.’ - Thomas Jefferson
