The Rings of Saturn Alternately Appear Very Distinct and Then

question 55

Multiple Choice

The rings of Saturn alternately appear very distinct and then almost disappear when viewed from Earth over a period of a few years because

• A) Earth is very much closer to Saturn at opposition than at conjunction, so the rings are more easily seen at this time.
• B) the solar wind occasionally blows away the ring particles when the Sun is particularly active.
• C) the ice crystals from which they are made melt and refreeze as the planet approaches and recedes from the Sun.
• D) the plane of the rings is tilted with respect to the ecliptic plane and thus appears edge-on at times.

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Definitions:

Type II Error

The error that occurs when a false null hypothesis is not rejected, often referred to as a "false negative."

Multiple Comparison

A statistical principle applied when multiple hypothesis tests are conducted simultaneously, requiring adjustment methods to control for the increased risk of Type I error.

Significant Difference

A statistical term indicating that the observed difference between two or more datasets is unlikely to be due to chance at a certain confidence level.

Tukey's Multiple Comparison

A statistical test used to find the differences between means in a set of data, part of post-hoc analysis following ANOVA.