There's a nice explanation of this in a chapter of the book _Science Held
Hostage_ by H. van Till et al. (Intervarsity Press, 1988). [Sadly, I
think that book has been allowed to go out of print -- it is one of the
best choices for giving somebody at the college student level who is
wrestling with "creationism" issues.] It is equivalent to saying that if
I consume a gallon of water a day, and if the total water in my body is
15 gallons, therefore I am 15 days old.
The warping of "residence time" into "age" is an egregious example of
sleaziness and/or gross ignorance. Maybe its because I have a chemical
engineering background where residence time is a fundamental concept, but
this example was one of the drivers that pushed me from thinking the
young-Earth crowd was mistaken but well-intentioned to seriously doubting
the integrity of the leaders of the movement.
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| Dr. Allan H. Harvey | aharvey@boulder.nist.gov |
| Physical and Chemical Properties Division | "Don't blame the |
| National Institute of Standards & Technology | government for what I |
| 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80303 | say, or vice versa." |
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