Nicolas Steno, a Danish scientist, was the first to propose the law of superposition. It was then first used by William “Strata” Smith, who created the first geological map of Britain. The law of superposition is a geological principle used to determine the relative age of rock layers. In igneous rocks, layers form due to pressure from the highest to the deepest. The position of each layer is therefore chaotic. It does not indicate whether the top layer is younger or the bottom layer. By applying the law of superposition, the age of the rocks is determined according to the age of the fossils. The simplest fossils in rock layers are considered the oldest, even if they are found on the top layer. In the same way, the age of complex fossils is considered younger, even if they are in the lowest layer. So you can`t apply the law of superposition as it is on igneous rocks. In mathematical terms, superposition can be thought of as an equation that has more than one solution. If we solve x2 = 4, x can be 2 or –2.
Both answers are correct. Overlapping wave functions will be more complicated to solve, but they can be approached with the same mindset. Surprisingly, adding a diagonal filter between the horizontal and vertical filters will let some light through the entire system. It is also the result of layering. The new filter allows 50% of the light to pass through the horizontal filter. Since the new filter is also diagonal to the vertical filter, the vertical filter allows 50% of the light to pass through. The law of superposition is an axiom that constitutes one of the foundations of the sciences of geology, archaeology and other areas of geological stratigraphy. In its simplest form, it indicates that in undistorted stratigraphic sequences, the oldest layers are at the bottom of the sequence, while new material accumulates on the surface to form new deposits over time.
This is of paramount importance for stratigraphic dating, which requires a number of assumptions, including the fact that the law of superposition applies and that an object cannot be older than the materials it is made of. To illustrate the practical applications of layering in scientific research, sedimentary rocks that have not been deformed by more than 90° will have the oldest layers on the ground, allowing paleontologists and paleobotanists to identify the relative age of all fossils found in the layers, with the remains of the most archaic life forms being limited to the lowest. These results can inform the community about the fossil record covering relevant strata to determine which species coexisted over time and which species existed successively in a potentially evolutionary or phylogenetically relevant way. In short, the law of superposition does not work on igneous rocks. Only the nature of the fossils in the sedimentary layers can accurately determine the age of the rocks. It is not based on stratification. In sedimentary rocks, however, the formation of the layer occurs according to the law of superposition. According to the law of superposition, “nothing can be older than the material of which it is composed. The material is older and the object it is made of is less old. Many experiments have been conducted that definitively prove the existence of an overlay. One example recruits the help of light filters: screens that selectively block light, such as those found in polarized sunglasses or camera lenses.
Imagine touching the surface of a pond in two different places at the same time. The waves propagate outward from any point and eventually overlap to form a more complex pattern. It is a superposition of waves. Similarly, in quantum science, objects such as electrons and photons have wave properties that can combine and become what is called superimposed. The overlap in archaeology, and in particular in the use of stratification during excavations, is somewhat different, as the processes of deposition of archaeological layers are somewhat different from geological processes. Human interventions and activities in the archaeological record do not have to be formed chronologically from top to bottom or to be deformed from the horizontal, as are natural layers by equivalent processes. Some archaeological layers (often called contexts or layers) are created by undermining the earlier layers. An example would be that backfilling of sludge from an underground drain would form some time after the ground immediately above. Other examples of non-vertical overlay would be changes to standing structures such as creating new doors and windows in a wall. Overlay in archaeology requires a number of interpretations to correctly identify chronological sequences, and in this sense, overlay in archaeology is more dynamic and multidimensional.