Changes

'''Radiometric dating''' is a method of determining the age of an artifact by assuming that decay rates have been constant (see below for the flaws in that assumption) and measuring the amount of radioactive decay that has occurred.<ref>[http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/geotime/radiometric.html Radiometric Time Scale] USGS</ref> Radiometric dating is mostly used to determine the age of rocks, though a particular form of radiometric dating&mdash;called [[Radiocarbon dating]]&mdash;can date wood, cloth, skeletons, and other organic material.

'''Radiometric dating''' is a method of determining the age of an artifact by implausibly assuming that decay rates have been constant (see below for the flaws in that assumption) and measuring the amount of radioactive decay that has occurred.<ref>[http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/geotime/radiometric.html Radiometric Time Scale] USGS</ref> Radiometric dating is mostly used to determine the age of rocks, though a particular form of radiometric dating&mdash;called [[Radiocarbon dating]]&mdash;can date wood, cloth, skeletons, and other organic material.

Because radiometric dating fails to satisfy standards of testability and [[falsifiability]], claims based on radiometric dating may fail to qualify under the ''[[Daubert]]'' standard for court-admissible scientific evidence.

Because radiometric dating fails to satisfy standards of testability and [[falsifiability]], claims based on radiometric dating may fail to qualify under the ''[[Daubert]]'' standard for court-admissible scientific evidence.

# Calculate how long it would take that much uranium to turn into lead, given the measured rate.  Calculations involve the well-established function for exponential decay: <math>F</math>_{<math>t</math>}<math>=e</math>^{<math>-kt</math>}.

# Calculate how long it would take that much uranium to turn into lead, given the measured rate.  Calculations involve the well-established function for exponential decay: <math>F</math>_{<math>t</math>}<math>=e</math>^{<math>-kt</math>}.

== Key assumptions ==

== Key implausible assumptions ==

There are a number of assumptions involved in radiometric dating.

There are a number of implausible assumptions involved in radiometric dating.

They are assumptions because they are unable to be proved one way or the other.

They are assumptions because they are unable to be proved one way or the other.