carbon 14

American  

Also carbon-14

noun

1. radiocarbon.

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carbon 14 Scientific  

1. A naturally occurring radioactive isotope of carbon having six protons and eight neutrons in the nucleus. Carbon 14 is important in dating archaeological and biological remains by radiocarbon dating.

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carbon 14 Cultural  

1. A radioactive isotope of carbon. A carbon 14 atom contains six protons, six electrons, and eight neutrons. Carbon 14 is produced when neutrons bombard atoms of nitrogen.

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Discover More

Carbon 14 is used in a common form of radioactive dating to determine the age of ancient objects.

Etymology

Origin of carbon 14

First recorded in 1935–40

Compare meaning

How does carbon-14 compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• carbon 12 vs. carbon 14

Example Sentences

They ruled out earlier and later Miyake events based on the carbon 14 to carbon 12 ratios measured in the wood, which vary in known ways over centuries.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 21, 2021

Poring through them for events such as carbon 14 spikes is time-consuming, however.

From Scientific American • Sep. 13, 2021

The carbon dating, done by a lab in Florida, found that the logs Yunker uncovered were living trees in the 1950s because they contained extra carbon 14, released during thermo-nuclear bomb testing in that era.

From Washington Times • Oct. 18, 2015

Once it is part of the battle rhythm, it has the persistence of carbon 14.

From Salon • Aug. 27, 2010

This method is based on the slow decay of radioactive carbon 14, a very minor component of carbon, the ubiquitous building block of life, into the nonradioactive isotope nitrogen 14.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond