What is the difference between relative and absolute age? Relative age is the age of a rock layer (or the fossils it contains) compared to other layers. Absolute age is the numeric age of a layer of rocks or fossils. Absolute age can be determined by using radiometric dating.

Whats the difference between relative dating and radioactive dating?

In brief, relative dating is the method of determining the relative age of a fossil. In contrast, radioactive dating is the method of determining the absolute age of a fossil.