Half-life is defined as the time it takes for one-half of a radioactive element to decay into a daughter isotope. The half-lives of several radioactive isotopes are known and are used often to figure out the age of newly found fossils.

What is the half-life of radiometric dating?

5,730 years The best-known radiometric dating method involves the isotope carbon-14, with a half life of 5,730 years. Every living organism takes in carbon during its lifetime.

What is a half-life in dating?

While the moment in time at which a particular nucleus decays is unpredictable, a collection of atoms of a radioactive nuclide decays exponentially at a rate described by a parameter known as the half-life, usually given in units of years when discussing dating techniques.