Radiocarbon dating: misleading assumptions
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Authors
Gonzalez, Allyson D.
Issue Date
2006
Type
Thesis
Language
en
Keywords
Forensic sciences
Alternative Title
Abstract
Radiocarbon dating is an absolute dating method that uses the naturally occurring isotope carbon-14 to determine the age of organic materials up to 50,000 years old. The radiocarbon dating method is controversial because it is predicted upon a set of questionable assumptions, which research has proven to be false. The history of the application and results of carbon-14 dating requires that one look carefully at the conditions and assumptions associated with certain dates and at the stage in the technique’s development from which those dates derive. The radiocarbon dating method is not infallible and has a number of limitations, yet it is still considered to be the best dating technique for the measurement of organic materials.