At AS there is a tendency to set questions that step you through the ideas in short stages. For A2, questions can be less guided and need more than a single step within the calculation. The question in this Exam talkback illustrates both of these to some extent: the material is more mathematically demanding than at AS and the question is less structured. It is taken from the June 2010 AQA Physics PHYA5/1 A2 examination paper, and is reproduced by kind permission of AQA. The answers that follow are the responsibility of PHYSICS REVIEW and have neither been provided nor approved by AQA.
The topic is radioactivity and the use of decay rates of14Cto estimate the age of a sample of wood — carbon dating. The basic ideas are not difficult, although the assumptions behind the technique do require a little thought.
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