In 1946, Willard Libby proposed an innovative method for dating organic materials by measuring their content of carbon-14, a newly discovered radioactive isotope of carbon. Known as radiocarbon dating, this method provides objective age estimates for carbon-based objects that originated from living organisms.

Who invented the method of carbon dating?

Professor Willard Libby Professor Willard Libby, a chemist at the University of Chicago, first proposed the idea of radiocarbon dating in 1946. Three years later, Libby proved his hypothesis correct when he accurately dated a series of objects with already-known ages.

What is the basis for the carbon 14 dating method?

Carbon-14 dating, also called radiocarbon dating, method of age determination that depends upon the decay to nitrogen of radiocarbon (carbon-14).

How did they check for the accuracy of the carbon dating technique?

By testing the amount of carbon stored in an object, and comparing to the original amount of carbon believed to have been stored at the time of death, scientists can estimate its age.