Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of traditional radiocarbon dating?

The correct answer is rooted in understanding how traditional radiocarbon dating works. Traditional radiocarbon dating is based on measuring the ratio of carbon-14 isotopes to more stable isotopes of carbon, such as carbon-12 and carbon-13. The method does not involve counting individual carbon isotopes, but instead focuses on the proportion of carbon-14 in relation to these stable isotopes.

By analyzing this ratio, researchers can determine how long it has been since the organism took in carbon—after death, the carbon-14 decays at a known rate, while the stable carbon isotopes remain constant. This technique is effective for dating organic materials, which explains its usefulness for applications such as dating animal remains, wood, and shell, as these materials contain organic carbon.

Understanding this fundamental process clarifies why counting individual carbon isotopes falls outside the scope of traditional radiocarbon dating methods, thereby confirming that traditional techniques rely on isotopic ratios rather than direct counts of the isotopes.