singular or plural

[soekothu]

Dear all members,
(1) Digital clocks tell the time with a set of numerals which appear /appears in a little window. ( which is right?)
(2)...............one of the planets which is /are.............(which is right?)
Please explain them to me with many examples.

 

[billmcd]

"set appears"
"one is"

 

[soekothu]

The answer may not be so simple as it at first seemed. Consider this example:
The earth is one of the nine planets that are revolving around the sun.
I don't think we should use "is" as the anaphoric reference here is not "one", but "the nine planets". Isn't it?

 

[Raymott]

The answer may not be so simple as it at first seemed. Consider this example:
The earth is one of the nine planets that are revolving around the sun.
I don't think we should use "is" as the anaphoric reference here is not "one", but "the nine planets". Isn't it?

Yes, you are right. It seems to me that "are" is needed for 2.
[Neptune is one of] [the planets which are further from the sun than Earth is.]
One [of the planets which have rings] is Saturn. (my preference) or
One [of the planets] which has rings is Saturn.

1. could also be read as:
a set of [numerals which appear in a little window] or
a set [of numerals] which appears in a little window.

I think it's a grammatical variant of the optical illusion where one person sees a vase, and another sees two faces looking at each other.

 

[sarat_106]

One [of the planets which have rings] is Saturn. (my preference) or
One [of the planets] which has rings is Saturn.

.

I think if you consider ‘a set of numerals’ which is collective noun phrase, as a single unit, then it is singular and agrees with a singular verb; as:
Aryabhatta invented a set of numerals that is now used by people all over the world
There is a flock of birds peacefully pecking seeds under a tree
Similarly, the phrase ‘one of the (plural noun)’ can be treated as singular; as:
This is one of the best films of 2009 which has won several Oscar awards.
Pistachio is one of the few flavors that appeals to me