Which dating technique uses the amount of a radioactive element to determine the actual age of a fossil?

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Multiple Choice

Which dating technique uses the amount of a radioactive element to determine the actual age of a fossil?

Explanation:
Radiometric dating uses the known decay rates of radioactive isotopes to determine an absolute, numeric age. By measuring how much parent isotope remains versus its daughter product, scientists can calculate how many half-lives have passed since the material formed. This gives a specific age in years for the fossil or the rock it’s in. Relative dating only orders events without giving an actual date, and fossils themselves aren’t dating methods. So radiometric dating is the technique that uses the amount of a radioactive element to determine the actual age.

Radiometric dating uses the known decay rates of radioactive isotopes to determine an absolute, numeric age. By measuring how much parent isotope remains versus its daughter product, scientists can calculate how many half-lives have passed since the material formed. This gives a specific age in years for the fossil or the rock it’s in. Relative dating only orders events without giving an actual date, and fossils themselves aren’t dating methods. So radiometric dating is the technique that uses the amount of a radioactive element to determine the actual age.

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