Absolute DatingTuesday, December 2nd, 2014

No Homework

Do Now Order the layers from oldest to youngest

Do Now

Describe one of the different principles from the reading yesterday

This can only help your grade◦ I recommend that if you have below an 85 you do

this assignment Design a board game based on the Matter

unit◦ I can give you a grading rubric with requirements

and expectations If you choose not to do this, I will enter

whatever grade you have for the semester in that spot

End of semester grade worth 20%

SWBAT define absolute dating SWBAT differentiate absolute dating and

relative dating

Essential Questions? Compare and contrast absolute and relative

dating. How are they the same? How are they different?

How can they be used together to form a more accurate picture of the past?

Objectives

Radiometric dating◦ A method of estimating the age of rocks and

fossils by using radioactive elements Half-Life

◦ What is a half life?◦ The approximate time for half of the radioactive

isotope to undergo decay (convert into a different isotope)

Vocabulary

Title: Absolute Dating Date: 12/2 Section: Fossils

Note sheet for today

A. How do living things obtain their carbon?

B. There are 2 methods of absolute dating mentioned, what are they?

C. How can scientists measure the age of something by using carbon dating?

D. Why does carbon dating only work for 60 thousand years?

Types of absolute dating

Determining the age of rocks found near fossils is an important step in understanding evolution. How does radiometric dating determine the age of a fossil.

1. It compares the radioactive to nonradioactive elements in the rocks around the fossil

2. It compares the age of the rocks above and below the fossil

3. It compares the bones of one animal to those of a similar animal

4. It determines where the fossil belongs in the fossil record

Sample TCAP question

Ratio of radioactive to nonradioactive elements

How to use radiometric dating

What is Dendrochronology?A. Why do tree rings have a lighter area and

a darker area?

B. What can tree rings tell us about climate?

C/D. How can scientists create a climatic chronology going back thousands of years?

Dendrochronology

Compare and contrast absolute and relative dating. How are they the same? How are they different?

How can they be used together to form a more accurate picture of the past?◦ Use a Venn Diagram or a drawing to help explain

your answer

Answer the Essential Question

1. How are absolute dating and relative dating different?

2. What is one example of radiometric dating?

3. In order to properly date something using radiometric dating you need the ratio of ___________ to ______________.

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