Word
radiocarbon
Phoneticsra·dio·car·bon
UK/ɹˌeɪdɪəʊkˈɑːbən/
Definition
n. a special form of carbon that scientists use to find out how old an object is. It is found in living things and disappears slowly after they die.
n. a radioactive isotope of carbon, specifically carbon-14, used in dating organic materials. It decays at a known rate, allowing researchers to determine the age of archaeological and geological samples.
Examples
“Scientists use radiocarbon to date ancient bones.”
“The museum used radiocarbon dating to confirm that the wooden tools were over five thousand years old.”
“By measuring the remaining concentration of radiocarbon in a sample, researchers can calculate the time elapsed since the organism last absorbed carbon from the atmosphere.”
Examples
simple
“Scientists use radiocarbon to date ancient bones.”
contextual
“The museum used radiocarbon dating to confirm that the wooden tools were over five thousand years old.”
complex
“By measuring the remaining concentration of radiocarbon in a sample, researchers can calculate the time elapsed since the organism last absorbed carbon from the atmosphere.”
Real-World Examples
Common in science and history writing
“In each sediment layer, the researchers identified and dated shells from two types of microorganisms, both of which are called foraminifera, using carbon-14 (radiocarbon).” “Scientists discovered charcoal inside black pigments once thought to contain only minerals, allowing them to use radiocarbon dating.” “By studying rock layers, radiocarbon dating the wood and examining some tree ring records, researchers had previously been able to guess the date of the Electron Mudflow.” “The researchers combined genetic evidence with archaeological findings and radiocarbon dating to piece together what happened within these prehistoric communities.” Etymology
From radio- + carbon.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/radiocarbon