Hiya, in carbon-14 dating, is it the Carbon 14 to Nitrogen 14 ratio that is measured or the Carbon 12 to Carbon 14 ratio that is measured (/or both)? (a bit panicked bc I learnt that it was C-12:C-14 but a VCAA question said it was C-14:N-14 ahhhhh
Carbon 14 to Nitrogen 14. (at least that is what I have been taught).
Edit: I just googled it and a website said C-12 to C-14 ratio is compared, and that C-14 radioactively decays into N-14. However, others have said C-14 to N-14 ratio, so I don't know
. It's best to stick with whatever VCAA says is correct.
edit#2: I read something that sort of makes sense. I think it could be both because it said
-in living organisms there is an equal number of C-14 and C-12 in the body
-The C-14 decays over time in dead organisms into N-14
so you are comparing the C-14 to N-14 ratio, with the knowledge that C-14 originally was the same amount as the amount of C-12?
...I think