1. How much potassium was there when the rock was formed.
2. How much argon was there when the rock was formed.
3. Whether the decay rate was constant.
4. Whether potassium or argon from another source leeched into the sample.
In light of the above and starting with an “old earth” view, what kind of assumptions do you think they’ll make....ones that will lead to a young age or an old one?"
Obviously, your basic problem is, you don't much understand the processes you are criticizing. And neither do I, but clearly more than you do. And you would instantly understand more, if you weren't so dead-set opposed to it.
Radiometric dating starts with the moment a "blocking temperature" was reached, which sets the atomic clocks to zero. From there on, the time lapsed is measured according to the half-lives of the materials.
Of course, if there is any contamination, or mistakes made in processing, then tests will come back with wrong dates. That's why it helps to have a likely range of ages in mind. If the answer comes back drastically different, then you know you need to take a careful look at just exactly you did, then go back and see if you get the same results over and over.
****Obviously, your basic problem is, you don’t much understand the processes you are criticizing. And neither do I, but clearly more than you do. And you would instantly understand more, if you weren’t so dead-set opposed to it.****
Obviously your basic problem is that you seem to think you can make assumptions and still come up with an accurate date. The four things that I listed are unknowable and assumptions have to be made. That’s just a fact.
The moment one assumption comes into play, it’s over. I’ve listed four above.
You’ve still not answered my question (which Mr. Silverback keeps asking you to answer).
Here it is again:
The volume of ice in a glass of water is twice as much as the volume of water. How long did it take from the time the glass was filled until now to reach the current state?
Is it possible to answer that question without more information?
Is that question any different than this question?:
Black rock was examined that had been formed as a result of lava flow from a volcanic eruption. There is twice as much Potassium as there is Argon in the sample. How long did it take to reach the current state?
I’ll make it even easier on you, just answer this.....is it possible to answer these without making assumptions?