Although I may not be the smartest, I can definitely answer.
This represents a chemical change because the substances' chemical identities were altered. The fizzing was a clear sign, and the temperature increase was another indicator of the reaction.
N₀ signifies the quantity of C-14 atoms per kg of carbon in the original sample at time = 0 seconds, when the carbon composition matched that in today’s atmosphere. As time progresses to ts, the number of C-14 atoms per kg declines to N, due to radioactive decay. λ indicates the decay constant.
Hence, we have N = N₀e - λt, which is the equation for radioactive decay. Rearranging gives us N₀/N = e λt, or In(N₀/N) = - λt, which becomes equation 1.
The sample contains mc kg of carbon, leading to an activity measured as A/mc decay per kg. The variable r represents the initial mass of C-14 in the sample at t=0 relative to the total mass of carbon which is calculated as [(total number of C-14 atoms at t = 0) × ma] / total mass of carbon. Thus, N₀ equates to r/ma, which becomes equation 2.
The activity of the radioactive element is directly related to the atom count at the moment. The activity equation A = dN/dt = λ(N) indicates that: A = λ₁(N × mc). Rearranging provides N = A / (λmc), represented in equation 3.
By integrating equations 2 and 3, we can solve for t yielding
t = (1/λ) In(rλmc/m₀A).