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PHYS175_Astro_Homework_08_problems.pdf
Problem 2
Comments: Saturn's rings are ridiculously thin. This problem illus-
trates just how thin, by comparing them to a sheet of paper.
The main bright rings of Saturn have an outer diameter 274,000 km, yet the thickness of
the rings is only estimated to be of order 100 meters or less. This means the diameter of
Saturn's rings is something roughly like 3 million times their thickness.
Now suppose you wanted to make a model of Saturn's using standard printer paper, which
is around 0.1 mm thick. What would the diameter of your paper annulus need to be, in
order for its diameter-to-thickness ratio to accurately model the real rings of Saturn?
(Your answer should be sufficiently large to convince you that this would not be feasible
to ever attempt to do in practice!)
[10 Points]
Problem 3
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