Final answer:
Absolute dating techniques, such as radiocarbon dating, utilize the decay of carbon-14 within organic material to determine its age, with a typical application range of up to 50,000 years. Amino Acid Racemization is another method used for absolute dating, especially where radiocarbon dating is not applicable.
Step-by-step explanation:
Absolute dating is a collection of methods used in determining the approximate age of an object or material. Chief among these is radiocarbon dating, which relies on measuring the amount of carbon-14 (also known as C-14 or ¹⁴C) left in organic material. This technique is applicable to samples ranging from 300 to approximately 50,000 years old. When a living organism dies, the C-14 it contains begins to decay into nitrogen-14 through a process called beta decay, which can be measured by scientists to determine the age of the sample.
In addition to carbon dating, Amino Acid Racemization can also be used as an absolute dating method, especially in cases where carbon dating is not applicable. This method estimates the age of a specimen by measuring the rate at which amino acids in organic materials convert from their l-form to their d-form, often used for dating fossils and other biological materials where other forms of absolute dating may not be suitable.