A stump shows 24 annual rings. Its radius is 168 mm, and the bark is left out…
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A stump shows annual rings. Its radius is mm, and the bark is left out. The outer rings are sapwood. The rest is heartwood. Take every ring to have the same width.
- How old was the tree?
- What is the mean width of a ring?
- What is the radius of the heartwood?
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
Spring wood has wide vessels and is light in colour. Autumn wood has narrow vessels and is dark. One spring layer with one autumn layer is an annual ring, and the number of rings gives the age of a tree. Heartwood is the oldest, central wood. It is dead, dark with tannins, resins and oils, and does not conduct. Sapwood is the outer, lighter wood that conducts water and minerals.
The worked solution
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. Age. One ring for each year, so years.
Step 2. Width. mm.
Step 3. Heartwood. rings, so mm.
Answer: years; mm; mm.
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