Final answer:
Radiometric dating is a technique that uses isotopes like carbon-14 and uranium-238 to determine the age of materials. It calculates age based on the isotopes' decay rates and known half-lives, such as the 5,730-year half-life of carbon-14.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process that uses atomic particles, specifically isotopes of carbon and uranium, to determine the exact age of artifacts and geological formations is known as radiometric dating. This technique is based on the principle that radioactive isotopes, like carbon-14 (C-14) and uranium-238 (U-238), decay at a constant rate over time. The half-life of C-14 is 5,730 years, and this property makes it suitable for dating materials that were part of living organisms, such as wood or bones. Through the analysis of the ratio of C-14 to the stable carbon isotope carbon-12, scientists can determine how many half-lives have passed and thus estimate the age of the material. Similarly, uranium dating utilizes the decay of U-238 to lead-206 to date older rocks and minerals.