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Discussion » Questions » Science and Technology » Some say radiocarbon dating is accurate, some say it's not, both have researched extensively and hold to their claims. Which is right?
Benedict Arnold

Some say radiocarbon dating is accurate, some say it's not, both have researched extensively and hold to their claims. Which is right?

Posted - December 9, 2018
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Responses


  • 14795
    Accurate to what in years,months ,days....
    I don't think anything billions of years old can be dated that accurate....
      December 9, 2018 6:22 PM MST
    4

  • 44603
    Uranium/lead. Might I show you some isotopic decay chains? (shivvers). They are quite hot and revealing. This post was edited by Element 99 at December 10, 2018 7:59 AM MST
      December 9, 2018 7:11 PM MST
    2

  • 14795
    So am I and I'm still realitivly young hot stuff and as for the revealing bit I assure you that's just gossip....unless they had a extreamly long ladder, most likely they saw nothing....
    Im claiming the fifth on this on health and safety grounds......
    I really don't want Peking Chinese people coming to our home....:(   
      December 10, 2018 3:14 AM MST
    1

  • 22891
    not sure
      December 9, 2018 7:30 PM MST
    0

  • 5391
    Accurate to a point. The oldest dates that can be reliably measured with radiocarbon dating is around 50,000 years, but as much as 75,000 years in rare cases. There are a number of variances that can increase the margin(s) of error in dating materials in this way. 

    More recently, accelerator mass spectrometry has become the method of choice, as it can be done faster, on smaller samples, and with accuracy said to be within 1%. 
      December 9, 2018 7:30 PM MST
    6

  • 13277
    I'm married and out of the dating game!
      December 9, 2018 7:31 PM MST
    2

  • 448
    I have a coin to flip for my final decision and lock it in.
      December 9, 2018 7:39 PM MST
    3

  • 44603
      December 10, 2018 8:01 AM MST
    2

  • 5835
    All dating methods can be set to random numbers by lightning, and lightning has always been a big part of history. For a while there were lightning bolts between planets. Jupiter was famous for that.
      December 10, 2018 2:00 PM MST
    2

  • 3719

    You can't claim something being "accurate" or "inaccurate" unless you define its practicable limits of accuracy; AND you state those limits relevant not so much to the technicque generally, but to the specific measurements for which you have used it. 

      March 31, 2019 3:59 PM MDT
    0