The ’14’ in carbon-14 refers to the atomic mass of the isotope. Carbon has several isotopes, with carbon-12 and carbon-14 being the most notable. The number ’14’ indicates that this particular isotope of carbon has a total of 14 nucleons in its nucleus, which includes 6 protons and 8 neutrons.
Isotopes are variants of elements that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons. In the case of carbon-14, the ‘6’ protons identify it as carbon, while the additional 8 neutrons give it a heavier mass than the more common carbon-12 isotope, which has 6 protons and 6 neutrons.
Carbon-14 is particularly important in the field of archaeology and geology for radiocarbon dating, as it is a naturally occurring radioactive isotope that decays at a known rate, allowing scientists to estimate the age of organic materials.