What can radiometric dating reveal

Explainer: Radioactive dating helps solve mysteries

The passage of time can be measured in many ways. For humans, the steady movement of the hands on a clock marks off the seconds and the hours. In nature, the constant decay of radioactive isotopes records the march of years. Scientists can use the clocklike behavior of these isotopes to determine the age of rocks, fossils, and even some long-lived organisms. Isotopes are forms of an element that have the same number of electrons and protons but different numbers of neutrons. Some of these atomic arrangements are stable, and some are not.

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On hearing the estimates of the earth's age that range from 6, to more than four billion years, you may have wondered, "What difference does it make what I believe about the earth's age? Does it really matter how long life has been here? They also make an important difference in how you interpret the hypotheses offered by science and the information presented in the Bible.

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Geologist Ralph Harvey and historian Mott Greene explain the principles of radiometric dating and its application in determining the age of Earth. As the uranium in rocks decays, it emits subatomic particles and turns into lead at a constant rate. Measuring the uranium-to-lead ratios in the oldest rocks on Earth gave scientists an estimated age of the planet of 4. Segment from A Science Odyssey: "Origins. View in: QuickTime RealPlayer.

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Genesis and Time: What Radiometric Dating Tells Us

Today's ePaper. Worlds Toughest Course. Toughest Subjects in Computer Science Engineering.

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