Math  /  Calculus

QuestionSuppose an Egyptian mummy is discovered in which the amount of carbon-14 present is only about three-fourths the amount found in living human beings. The amount of carbon-14 present in animal bones after tt years is given by y=y0e0.0001216ty=y_{0} e^{-0.0001216 t}, where y0y_{0} is the amount of carbon-14 present in living human beings. About how long ago did the Egyptian die?
About \square yr ago the Egyptian had died. (Round to the nearest integer as needed.)

Studdy Solution

STEP 1

What is this asking? We're trying to figure out how many years ago an Egyptian died based on how much carbon-14 is left in their remains compared to a living person. Watch out! Don't forget to solve for t t , and make sure to use the natural logarithm correctly!

STEP 2

1. Set up the equation
2. Solve for t t
3. Round the answer

STEP 3

Alright, let's dive in!
We know that the amount of carbon-14 left in the mummy is three-fourths of what's found in living humans.
So, we can set up the equation using the formula given:
y=y0e0.0001216ty = y_{0} e^{-0.0001216 t}
Here, y=34y0 y = \frac{3}{4}y_{0} because the mummy has three-fourths of the carbon-14.
Plug that into our equation:
34y0=y0e0.0001216t\frac{3}{4}y_{0} = y_{0} e^{-0.0001216 t}

STEP 4

Now, let's solve for t t !
First, we can **divide both sides by y0 y_{0} ** to simplify:
34=e0.0001216t\frac{3}{4} = e^{-0.0001216 t}

STEP 5

Next, we need to **take the natural logarithm** of both sides to get rid of that pesky e e :
ln(34)=ln(e0.0001216t)\ln\left(\frac{3}{4}\right) = \ln\left(e^{-0.0001216 t}\right)

STEP 6

Using the property of logarithms that says ln(ex)=x\ln(e^x) = x, we can simplify the right side:
ln(34)=0.0001216t\ln\left(\frac{3}{4}\right) = -0.0001216 t

STEP 7

Finally, let's **solve for t t ** by dividing both sides by 0.0001216-0.0001216:
t=ln(34)0.0001216t = \frac{\ln\left(\frac{3}{4}\right)}{-0.0001216}

STEP 8

Now, let's calculate that using a calculator:
tln(0.75)0.00012162401.2t \approx \frac{\ln(0.75)}{-0.0001216} \approx 2401.2
Since we need to round to the nearest integer, we get:
t2401t \approx 2401

STEP 9

About **2401** years ago, the Egyptian had died.

Was this helpful?

Studdy solves anything!

banner

Start learning now

Download Studdy AI Tutor now. Learn with ease and get all help you need to be successful at school.

ParentsInfluencer programContactPolicyTerms
TwitterInstagramFacebookTikTokDiscord