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Author Topic:   Potential Evidence for a Global Flood
pandion
Member (Idle past 3000 days)
Posts: 166
From: Houston
Joined: 04-06-2009


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Message 31 of 320 (565145)
06-15-2010 1:24 AM


This information will not be new to many of you, but here it goes.
I studied physics at one time but, as a biologist, it was just to become familiar with general principles of the universe. Thus, I understood and accepted the radioactive decay of certain isotopes as presented in the books I read and not from personal experience.
However, things were different in the case of my son. He actually studied nuclear physics. As part of one course the students were required to independently determine the half-life of several radioactive isotopes. When the measurements and the math were done correctly, the student results were the same as those stated in tables of isotopes of the elements. As part of this course, the students were also asked to try to alter rates of radioactive decay of several isotopes by any means that they could devise. In no case was any student able to do so.
These results agree with nuclear theory and experimental physics. Most methods of radioactive decay are not effected by changes in the environment. The isotopes used for radiometric dating are among those that do not vary. As G. Brent Dalrymple states in his book, The Age Of The Earth, "These radioactive parent isotopes decay to stable daughter isotopes at rates that can be measured experimentally and are effectively constant over time regardless of physical or chemical conditions." The half life of all isotopes used for radiometric dating are constant.
The half-life of C-14 is also constant under all conditions even though the measurement of C-14 is not a measure of parent to daughter ratio. For C-14 the measure is the ration of C-14 to C-12. And yes, the amount of carbon in the air has varied over time. But C-14 dating has been calibrated using dendrochronology, ice cores from Greenland and the Antarctic, and varves from Lake Suigetsu, which has resulted in the calibration of C-14 dating for the useful range of C-14 dating.
As I understand it, there are a few radio-isotopes that can be effected by physical conditions. These are some of those that decay by electron capture. Under conditions of extreme pressure (that do not exist naturally on earth, and never have) these may increase in decay rate. None of these isotopes are used in radiometric dating.

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