standard_description: Rewrite simple rational expressions in different forms; write a(x)/b(x) in the form q(x) + r(x)/b(x), where a(x), b(x), q(x), and r(x) are polynomials with the degree of r(x) less than the degree of b(x), using inspection, long division, or, for the more complicated examples, a computer algebra system.
problem_activity: Task
Carbon 14 is a form of carbon which decays exponentially over
time.
The amount
of Carbon 14 contained in a preserved plant is modeled
by the equation
$$
f(t) = 10\left(\frac{1}{2}\right)^{ct}.
$$
Time in this equation is measured in years
from the moment when the plant dies ($t = 0$) and the amount of Carbon 14 remaining in the preserved plant is measured in micrograms
(a microgram is one millionth of a gram).  The number $c$ in the exponential
measures the exponential rate of decay of Carbon $14$.
How many micrograms  of Carbon $14$ are in the plant at the time it died?
The best known estimate for the half-life of Carbon 14, that is the amount of time it takes for half of the
Carbon $14$ to decay, is $5730 \pm 40$ years.   Use this information to
calculate the range of possible values for the constant $c$ in the equation for $f$.
Use your answer from part (b) to find the range of years when there is
one microgram remaining in the preserved plant.


aligns: no