Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
Radiometric dating is a technique used by scientists to date rocks and other materials by comparing the abundance of parent isotopes with daughter isotopes. This method relies on our knowledge about radioactive decay rates.
Related terms
Half-Life: The time required for half of the atoms in a sample of a radioactive isotope to decay.
Isotope: Variants of a particular chemical element which differ in neutron number, and consequently in nucleon number.
Absolute Dating: A method used by geologists to determine the actual age of a rock or fossil using radiometric dating techniques.