Question

(03.01 mc)
what is the similarity between relative dating and radioactive dating?
both study the decay of atomic particles.
they both determine the exact age of rocks.
both are used to determine the age of objects.
they both provide a range of years of an object.

Explanation:

• Relative dating determines the age of an object in relation to other objects (e.g., stratigraphy - older layers are usually below younger layers).
• Radioactive dating (e.g., carbon - 14 dating for organic materials or uranium - lead dating for rocks) uses the decay of radioactive isotopes to calculate the age of an object.
• The key similarity is that both methods are employed to figure out the age of objects. The first option is wrong because only radioactive dating studies atomic particle decay. The second option is incorrect as relative dating does not give the exact age. The fourth option is wrong since radioactive dating gives an approximate age (not just a range in the sense of relative dating's 'older/younger' comparison).

Answer:

Both are used to determine the age of objects.