standard_description: Explain how the definition of the meaning of rational exponents follows from extending the properties of integer exponents to those values, allowing for a notation for radicals in terms of rational exponents. For example, we define 5^(1/3) to be the cube root of 5 because we want (5^(1/3))^(3) = 5(^(1/3))^(3) to hold, so (5^(1/3))^(3) must equal 5.
problem_activity: Task
The half-life of Carbon $14$, that is, the time required for half of the Carbon $14$ in a sample to decay, is variable: not every Carbon $14$ specimen has exactly the same half life. The half-life for Carbon $14$ has a distribution that is approximately normal with a standard deviation of $40$ years. This explains why the Wikipedia article on Carbon $14$ lists the half-life of Carbon 14 as $5730 \pm 40$ years. Other resources report this half-life as the absolute amounts of $5730$ years, or sometimes simply $5700$ years.
Explain the meaning of these three quantities ($5730 \pm 40$, $5730$, and $5700$) focusing on how they differ.
Can all three of the reported half-lives for Carbon $14$ be correct? Explain.
What are some of the benefits and drawbacks for each of the three ways of describing the half-life of Carbon $14$?


aligns: no