Carbon-14 dating is a method for determining the age of organic materials based on the percentage of carbon-14 in them compared to the amount of carbon-14 in living organisms. One of the most common questions when it comes to carbon-14 dating is how old a piece of wood would be if it had 0.7813% of the carbon-14 of a living organism. To answer this question, we need to understand how Carbon-14 dating works.

Carbon-14 is an unstable isotope of carbon, and it is constantly being produced in the atmosphere. As living organisms breathe in the Carbon-14 from the atmosphere, it is then incorporated into their bodies. When an organism dies, it stops taking in Carbon-14, so the amount of Carbon-14 in the organism slowly starts to decrease over time.

By measuring the amount of Carbon-14 in a sample of organic material, like a piece of wood, it is possible to estimate its age. Scientists measure the amount of Carbon-14 left in the sample and compare it to the amount of Carbon-14 found in living organisms. The age of the sample is then determined by calculating the difference between the two. If a sample has 0.7813% of the Carbon-14 found in a living organism, then it is approximately 6,740 years old.

It is important to note that Carbon-14 dating is only accurate up to about 50,000 years. Any materials older than this cannot be accurately dated using Carbon-14. In addition, the accuracy of Carbon-14 dating can be affected by contamination, decomposition, and other factors.

In conclusion, a piece of wood that has 0.7813% of the Carbon-14 of a living organism is estimated to be approximately 6,740 years old. Carbon-14 dating is a useful tool for determining the age of organic materials, but it is important to keep in mind that its accuracy can be affected by several factors.