Now you may not even notice but carbon is used in so many daily activities. Some of the most important uses are:
It makes up 18% of the human body. Sugar, glucose, proteins, etc are all made of it. The food we eat contains an important source of energy which we call carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are nothing but elements of carbon itself.
Carbon in its diamond form is used in jewellery. But diamonds are also used for industrial purposes. It is the hardest substance known to man and so has many uses in manufacturing processes.
Amorphous carbon is used to make inks and paints. It is also used in batteries.
Graphite is used as the lead in your pencils. It is also used in the production of steel.
One of the most important uses is carbon dating. We can actually use carbon to measure the age of things.
Scientists use a rare form of carbon called Carbon-14 to measure the age of fossils, bones, etc. The release of this carbon-14 is recorded to estimate the life of the said organic substance. This is how scientists find the age and period of dinosaur bones and fossils!