Physical Sciences

There are approximately 16 fiberoptic lines under the ocean off the Florida coast. These lines carry telephone and Internet communications between Florida and Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

During storms, these lines sway dramatically and often damage coral or get caught in anchors. Technical reports including the distance the line swayed indicate that the variance in sway during storms is 32 feet.

A study will be conducted to determine whether a new, heavier cable housing will decrease the variance in sway. State the relevant null and alternative hypotheses in terms of σ2, the variance in cable sway.