Age of fossil may be found out by determining the ratio of two isotopes of carbon. The isotopes are

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Q: 90 (CDS-I/2012)
Age of fossil may be found out by determining the ratio of two isotopes of carbon. The isotopes are—

question_subject: 

Science

question_exam: 

CDS-I

stats: 

0,17,15,7,6,17,2

keywords: 

{'isotopes': [0, 0, 3, 6], 'fossil': [0, 0, 2, 0], 'carbon': [1, 0, 4, 5], 'carbon black': [0, 0, 3, 4], 'ratio': [1, 0, 1, 12]}

To determine the age of a fossil, the ratio of two isotopes of carbon is measured. Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons. In this case, the isotopes of carbon being used are C-12 and C-14.

Option 1: C-12 and C-13. This option is incorrect because C-13 is not used to determine the age of a fossil. C-13 is another stable isotope of carbon and is not useful in radiocarbon dating.

Option 2: C-13 and C-14. This option is incorrect because C-13 is not used to determine the age of a fossil. C-14 is the radioactive isotope of carbon that is utilized in radiocarbon dating, but C-13 is not involved in this process.

Option 3: C-12 and C-14. This is the correct option. The ratio of C-12 to C-14 is measured to determine the age of the fossil through radiocarbon dating. C-14 is a radioactive isotope that decays over time, and by comparing the ratio of C-14 to C-12 in a fossil to the ratio in living organisms, the age of the fossil can be estimated