Relative Dating

Real World Example

Imagine trying to figure out the order of songs on a shuffled playlist without looking at the tracklist. Just like you might compare which songs you remember hearing earlier in the playlist to determine their order, scientists use relative dating to compare fossils or rocks to figure out which is older. In both cases, you aren't given direct timestamps or absolute ages; instead, you rely on context clues, like which song was played before another or which fossil layer lies beneath another, to make your determinations.