Ring facts & stats

Question 1

What does each growth ring in a tree trunk usually represent?

Accepted Answer

One year of growth. In climates with seasons, trees add one visible band of new wood each year, so counting rings estimates age.

Question 2

The 'Ring of Fire', a zone of many volcanoes and earthquakes, surrounds which ocean?

Accepted Answer

Pacific. Around this ocean's edges, tectonic plates collide and slide beneath one another, fueling volcanoes and quakes.

Question 3

Which of these planets also has a ring system?

Accepted Answer

Neptune. All four giant planets have rings, though only Saturn's are bright; the others are faint and dark.

Question 4

How many carbon atoms form the ring in a benzene molecule?

Accepted Answer

6. Benzene, C6H6, is a flat hexagonal ring and a building block of many organic compounds.

Question 5

What is a ring-shaped coral reef surrounding a lagoon called?

Accepted Answer

Atoll. Atolls often form when coral keeps growing around a volcanic island that slowly sinks beneath the sea.

Question 6

In geometry, what is the ring-shaped region between two concentric circles called?

Accepted Answer

Annulus. Its area is π(R² − r²): the area of the big circle minus the area of the small one.

Question 7

How were the rings of Uranus discovered in 1977?

Accepted Answer

A star blinked as they passed in front of it. Astronomers watching a star about to pass behind Uranus saw it dim several times, revealing thin rings.

The basics