hiili14menetelmällä

The hiili14menetelmä, also known as radiocarbon dating or carbon-14 dating, is a scientific method used to determine the age of organic materials. It relies on the radioactive isotope of carbon, carbon-14 (¹⁴C), which is produced in the Earth's atmosphere. Living organisms continuously absorb carbon from their environment, including ¹⁴C. When an organism dies, it stops absorbing carbon, and the ¹⁴C within its remains begins to decay at a known, constant rate.

The half-life of carbon-14 is approximately 5,730 years. This means that after 5,730 years, half of the original ¹⁴C in a sample will have decayed. By measuring the remaining amount of ¹⁴C in an organic sample and comparing it to the expected initial amount, scientists can calculate how much time has passed since the organism died. This technique is widely used in archaeology, paleontology, and geology to date artifacts, fossils, and geological samples. The accuracy of radiocarbon dating is generally considered reliable for materials up to around 50,000 years old, beyond which the amount of remaining ¹⁴C becomes too small to measure accurately.