Modern whales appreared 5-10 million years ago. The vertebrae off a whale discovered by paleontologists contain roughly 0.25% as much carbon-14 as they would have contained when the whale was alive. How long ago did the whale die? Use k=0.00012

Answer: 49929 years ago

Step-by-step explanation:

Radiocarbon dating is a method that provides objective age estimates for carbon-based materials that originated from living organisms

To calculate the time, we will use exponential formula

R% = e^ - kt

Where t = number of years

0.25/100 = e^ - 0.00012t

Log both sides with natural logarithm

Ln0.0025 = lne^-0.00012t

-5.9915 = - 0.00012t

t = 5.9915/0.00012

t = 49928.9 years

Approximately t = 49929 years