Question

Trees grow faster and form wider rings in warm years and grow more slowly and form narrower rings in cooler years. The figure shows the ring widths of a Siberian pine from 1500 to 2000.

(a) What is the range of the ring width function?

(b) What does the graph tend to say about the temperature of the earth? Does the graph reflect the volcanic eruptions of the mid-19^th century?

Short answer

a. The range of the ring width function is \(\left( {0,1.6} \right)\).

b. There was a variation in the mid-19^th century, which could have been caused by volcanic eruptions.

Step-by-step solution

Determine the range of the ring width function

a)

The ring width varies from around \(0{\mathop{\rm mm}\nolimits} \) to about \(1.6{\mathop{\rm mm}\nolimits} \). Therefore, the range of the ring width function is about \(\left( {0,1.6} \right)\).

Thus, the range of the ring width function is \(\left( {0,1.6} \right)\).

Interpret what the graph says about the temperature of the earth

b)

The graph shows that the earth slowly cooled from the year 1550 to 1700, warmed into the late 1700s, cooled again in the late 1800s, and has been slowly warming since then.There was a variation in the mid-19^th century, which could have been caused by volcanic eruptions.