Take the quiz. The carbon-14 method was developed by the American physicist Willard F. Libby about 1946. It has proved to be a versatile technique of dating fossils and archaeological specimens from 500 to 50,000 years old.

What does C 14 turn into when it decays?

Carbon-14 is a rare version of carbon with eight neutrons. It is radioactive and decays over time. When carbon-14 decays, a neutron turns into a proton and it loses an electron to become nitrogen-14.