Radiometric dating

Radiometric dating is a way to figure out how old something is, like a rock or a dinosaur bone. Scientists use special machines to measure how much of a certain element, like carbon or uranium, is inside the rock. We know these elements break down into other elements in a very predictable way, so we can estimate how long it would take for the rock to turn into the new elements.

Then, we look for the new elements in the rock and see how much of them there are compared to how much of the original elements there were. This helps us calculate how long ago the rock formed. It's like counting the number of candy pieces in a jar and figuring out how many days it will take to eat them all if you only eat one per day.

This is important because knowing the age of something can help us understand the history of the Earth and all living things on it. It's like a puzzle and radiometric dating helps us put the pieces together.