Assume You Want to Deduce the Radius of a Planet

question 21

Multiple Choice

Assume you want to deduce the radius of a planet in our Solar System as it occults a background star when the relative velocity between the planet and the Earth is 30 km/s. If the star crosses through the middle of the planet and disappears for a total of 26 minutes, what is the planet's radius?

• A) 3,000 km
• B) 23,000 km
• C) 15,000 km
• D) 5,000 km
• E) 31,000 km

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Definitions:

Significance Level

The probability of rejecting the null hypothesis in a statistical test when it is actually true; a measure of the risk of a Type I error.

SRS

Simple Random Sampling, a method of selecting a sample in which each member of the population has an equal chance of being included.

Null Hypothesis

A statistical hypothesis that assumes no significant difference or effect exists between certain states or parameters in a population.

Significance Level

A threshold in hypothesis testing that determines the probability of rejecting the null hypothesis when it is actually true.