Final answer:
Radiometric dating is the process of dating rocks by measuring the quantity of radioactive elements with known half-lives remaining in a sample. By comparing the amount of a radioactive parent element to its daughter products, scientists can determine how long the decay process has been going on and therefore the age of the rock.
Step-by-step explanation:
Radiometric dating is the process of dating rocks by measuring the quantity of radioactive elements with known half-lives remaining in a sample. By comparing the amount of a radioactive parent element to its daughter products, scientists can determine how long the decay process has been going on and therefore the age of the rock. For example, carbon-14 dating can be used to determine the age of organic material.