Question

How are relative dating and absolute dating different?

A.
Relative dating can only give the date within a million years or so, while absolute dating can give the exact date to within days.

B.
Relative dating can give the age of a rock layer within years, while absolute dating can give the age within days.

C.
Relative dating can give the age in years, while absolute dating can only tell whether one rock layer came before or after another.

D.
Relative dating can only tell whether one rock layer came before or after another, while absolute dating can give the age in years

Answer 1

i wish some one would help

Answer 2

Probably if you posted in a different forum you might be more likely to put your question in front of someone who knew how to answer it! So far you've tried the forum for feedback on the OpenStudy website, and the one for questions about the Social Sciences...

Answer 3

But as long as I'm here, we can work through the answers for this one. Are there any which you can immediately rule out?

Answer 4

idk do you

Answer 5

Yes, I know the answer, but the point is to teach you how to find it, not just give it to you .

Do you have any idea about what relative dating and absolute dating mean?

Answer 6

And no, "relative dating" does not involve your cousin :-)

Answer 7

i think the answer is d

Answer 8

Perhaps. Could you tell why?

Answer 9

no plz just tell me

Answer 10

are you a teacher or somthing

Answer 11

Well, are we in agreement that the first two answers don't make sense?

Answer 12

yes

Answer 13

Because no method is going to be sufficiently accurate and precise to tell us the age of ancient rock layers down to the day...

Answer 14

yes

Answer 15

i gtg thx for tryin

Answer 16

If for no other reason than it's hard to say what the exact point at which a rock layer is formed is when they aren't made instantly :-) (for example, volcanic deposition, sedimentation, etc.)

Answer 17

So the question is now choosing between relative dating giving us an absolute age or a relative age :-) A look at the dictionary entry for "absolute" includes the words "not comparative or relative" so it should be clear that absolute dating is the one that gives us a number for the age, and that relative dating gives us just an ordering — "this layer came first"

Answer 18

So "D" is the correct choice here.

Answer 19

D is correct!