The basis of radiocarbon dating is simple: all living things absorb carbon from the atmosphere and food sources around them, including a certain amount of natural, radioactive carbon-14. When the plant or animal dies, they stop absorbing, but the radioactive carbon that theyve accumulated continues to decay.

Can an atom be broke?

To split an atom a neutron, travelling at just the right speed, is shot at the nucleus. Under the right conditions the nucleus splits into two pieces and energy is released. This process is called nuclear fission. This chain reaction very rapidly multiplies the amount of atoms split and the amount of energy released.