How does carbon dating work?
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Carbon consists of C-14 and C-12 isotypes, with it being almost entirely c-12.
C-14 acts chemically the same as C-12. But it is slightly radioactive.
We know roughly how many % C-14 there is/was in the atmosphere at different times.
When you are alive and exchanging carbon the % of C-14 will be basically the same as in the atmosphere, however once you die you are stuck with that carbon. And since C-14 is slightly radioactive the amount slowly decreases over time.
So you measure the % of C-14 compared to what is expected and make deductions from that.
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