age=1/k ln(1+D/P)
This equation comes from the radioactive decay equation
,[A]=[A]o exp(-kt)
where [A]=# of beans after time t (unchnged or undecayed ones)=P
,[A]o= initial # of beans=D+P
this equation gives, ln [A]o/[A]=kt or t=1/K ln [A]o/[A],this is
equation of the form y=mx+c withc=0,linear equation and
m=slope=1/K
plot t verus ln [A]o/[A] with your data and the slope of the
curve will be equal to 1/K=decay constant,once you obtain that
value you can put it in the equation,
your data must contain info about time,
time                Â
# of atoms
decayed                        Â
# of atoms remaining
10s                             Â
0Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
70
20s
30s
age=1/k ln(1+D/P)=1/K ln(1+50 /20)=1/K*1.253
