Final answer:
Relative dating is a method used to determine the age of a fossil, artifact, or rock layer by comparing its position in relation to other fossils or rock layers. It does not provide an exact age, but rather establishes whether something is older or younger than another.
Step-by-step explanation:
Relative dating is a method used to determine the age of a fossil, artifact, or rock layer by comparing its position in relation to other fossils or rock layers. It does not provide an exact age, but rather establishes whether something is older or younger than another. This dating method is based on the principle of superposition, which states that lower rock layers are older than higher ones. Geologists also use other techniques, such as stratigraphy and the analysis of indicator artifacts, to determine relative ages.