Calculus in Radiometric Dating

by Amber Chambers

Submitted : Spring 2021

In this paper, connections will be made between calculus and environmental science. By using calculus to aid in the studies of a professional completing research in a topic related to environmental science, a deeper understanding of math and science is obtained. After demonstrating how calculus is built into topics relating to environmental science, complex conclusions can be made. Specifically, this paper relates calculus to radiometric dating of Uranium 238 and Thorium 232. By using knowledge of integrals and differential equations, with the aid of a mathematical supervisor and a subject area supervisor, a proof of Uranium’s decay constant, a general equation for remaining amounts of a radioactive material, and conclusions can be made about the importance of calculus in science. The importance of this project is to illustrate that calculus can be applied to a variety of seemingly unrelated fields of study.

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