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 in years, while absolute dating can only tell whether one rock layer came before or after another.

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

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

Answer 1

Relative dating: Places events in a chronological order without giving a date, or a year. It compares things to each other and sees which is older.
Absolute dating: Determines when an event took place (how many years ago). This is usually determined by the decay of radioactive elements.

So my guess would be that your answer is C. Relative dating can see which rock layers came first, and which came after. Absolute dating can give you a year.