Saturns rings contain enormous numbers of particles these pa - GED Practice Questions
Question
Saturn's rings contain enormous numbers of particles. These particles sometimes experience collisions with each other. Scientists need to know how those collisions transfer energy in order to model the overall structure and composition of the rings. Images of particles in Saturn's rings reveal that only 50-60% of the particles' energy remains after a collision. To identify which types of particles could explain the observations, a scientist tests substances in a laboratory and measures the energy remaining after collisions between particles of those substances. The table shows the scientist's results.
Based on these results and assuming that whenever two materials are present their remaining energy is averaged, what would the scientist best conclude to be the composition of Saturn's rings? You may use the calculator.
Answers
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Explanation
To answer this question, we need to find a combination of materials that results in 50-60% energy remaining after collision, as observed in Saturn's rings.
Let's analyze the options:
1. Ice (50%) and carbon rock (83%): Average = (50% + 83%) / 2 = 66.5%
2. Bedrock (95%) and carbon rock (83%): Average = (95% + 83%) / 2 = 89%
3. Ice (50%) and bedrock (95%): Average = (50% + 95%) / 2 = 72.5%
4. Loose rocks (24%) and loose snow (20%): Average = (24% + 20%) / 2 = 22%
Therefore, the correct answer is: large amounts of ice and smaller amounts of carbon rock.
The observed 50-60% remaining energy in Saturn's rings can be best explained by a mixture of ice (50% energy remaining) and carbon rock (83% energy remaining). If we assume a larger proportion of ice to carbon rock, we can achieve an average within the 50-60% range. This composition aligns with our current understanding of Saturn's rings, which are primarily composed of water ice with some rocky material. The other options either result in too high or too low energy retention, making them less likely explanations for the observed phenomenon.
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