ACT Science › How to find experimental design in physics
Sound waves travel through a medium by mechanically disturbing the particles of that medium. As particles in the medium are displaced by the sound wave, they in turn act upon neighboring particles. In this fashion, the wave travels through the medium through a parallel series of disturbed particles. Like in other forms of motion, the rate at which the sound wave travels can be measured by dividing the distance over which the wave travels by the time required for it to do so.
Study 1
A group of students hypothesizes that the velocity of sound is dependent upon the density of the medium through which it passes. They propose that with more matter in a given space, each particle needs to travel a shorter distance to disturb the adjacent particles. Using two microphones and a high speed recording device, the students measured the delay from the first microphone to the second. They chose a variety of media, shown in Table 1, and measured the velocity of sound through each using their two-microphone setup. The results are found in Table 1.
Study 2
The students wanted to test their hypothesis by using the same medium at different densities. To do this, they heated pure water to various temperatures and repeated the procedure described in Study 1. Their results can be found in Table 2.
Jackie read about this experiment and decided to recreate Study 1. She found that each of the velocities she measured are higher than those in the original experiment. What is one possible explanation for this difference?
Jackie used substances at a different temperature than those used in the original experiment.
Jackie used a shorter sample of each substance.
Jackie didn't measure the density of each substance.
Jackie used lower-quality microphones.
As study 2 shows, changes in temperature are correlated to changes in velocity. If Jackie used substances at a different temperature than those used in the original experiment, she would find different velocities of sound for those substances.
A shorter sample of each substance would not affect sound velocity, as the distance traveled is accounted for in the equation for velocity. The act of measuring the density of each substance would not affect the velocity of sound.
Sound waves travel through a medium by mechanically disturbing the particles of that medium. As particles in the medium are displaced by the sound wave, they in turn act upon neighboring particles. In this fashion, the wave travels through the medium through a parallel series of disturbed particles. Like in other forms of motion, the rate at which the sound wave travels can be measured by dividing the distance over which the wave travels by the time required for it to do so.
Study 1
A group of students hypothesizes that the velocity of sound is dependent upon the density of the medium through which it passes. They propose that with more matter in a given space, each particle needs to travel a shorter distance to disturb the adjacent particles. Using two microphones and a high speed recording device, the students measured the delay from the first microphone to the second. They chose a variety of media, shown in Table 1, and measured the velocity of sound through each using their two-microphone setup. The results are found in Table 1.
Study 2
The students wanted to test their hypothesis by using the same medium at different densities. To do this, they heated pure water to various temperatures and repeated the procedure described in Study 1. Their results can be found in Table 2.
Jackie read about this experiment and decided to recreate Study 1. She found that each of the velocities she measured are higher than those in the original experiment. What is one possible explanation for this difference?
Jackie used substances at a different temperature than those used in the original experiment.
Jackie used a shorter sample of each substance.
Jackie didn't measure the density of each substance.
Jackie used lower-quality microphones.
As study 2 shows, changes in temperature are correlated to changes in velocity. If Jackie used substances at a different temperature than those used in the original experiment, she would find different velocities of sound for those substances.
A shorter sample of each substance would not affect sound velocity, as the distance traveled is accounted for in the equation for velocity. The act of measuring the density of each substance would not affect the velocity of sound.
Sound waves travel through a medium by mechanically disturbing the particles of that medium. As particles in the medium are displaced by the sound wave, they in turn act upon neighboring particles. In this fashion, the wave travels through the medium through a parallel series of disturbed particles. Like in other forms of motion, the rate at which the sound wave travels can be measured by dividing the distance over which the wave travels by the time required for it to do so.
Study 1
A group of students hypothesizes that the velocity of sound is dependent upon the density of the medium through which it passes. They propose that with more matter in a given space, each particle needs to travel a shorter distance to disturb the adjacent particles. Using two microphones and a high speed recording device, the students measured the delay from the first microphone to the second. They chose a variety of media, shown in Table 1, and measured the velocity of sound through each using their two-microphone setup. The results are found in Table 1.
Study 2
The students wanted to test their hypothesis by using the same medium at different densities. To do this, they heated pure water to various temperatures and repeated the procedure described in Study 1. Their results can be found in Table 2.
Assume that density of a substance is the only contributing factor to velocity of sound through that substance. If the students' hypothesis in Study 1 is correct, what might they have predicted for the velocity of sound through lead? (Assume all other values in Table 1 remained the same.)
m/s
m/s
m/s
m/s
m/s
The students hypothesized that velocity of sound through a substance is directly dependent upon the density of that substance. In other words, as density increases, velocity of sound also increases. Because lead is the densest substance in Table 1, only velocities greater than 5,130 m/s (the velocity through iron) would satisfy the hypothesized relationship between velocity and density.
Sound waves travel through a medium by mechanically disturbing the particles of that medium. As particles in the medium are displaced by the sound wave, they in turn act upon neighboring particles. In this fashion, the wave travels through the medium through a parallel series of disturbed particles. Like in other forms of motion, the rate at which the sound wave travels can be measured by dividing the distance over which the wave travels by the time required for it to do so.
Study 1
A group of students hypothesizes that the velocity of sound is dependent upon the density of the medium through which it passes. They propose that with more matter in a given space, each particle needs to travel a shorter distance to disturb the adjacent particles. Using two microphones and a high speed recording device, the students measured the delay from the first microphone to the second. They chose a variety of media, shown in Table 1, and measured the velocity of sound through each using their two-microphone setup. The results are found in Table 1.
Study 2
The students wanted to test their hypothesis by using the same medium at different densities. To do this, they heated pure water to various temperatures and repeated the procedure described in Study 1. Their results can be found in Table 2.
Assume that density of a substance is the only contributing factor to velocity of sound through that substance. If the students' hypothesis in Study 1 is correct, what might they have predicted for the velocity of sound through lead? (Assume all other values in Table 1 remained the same.)
m/s
m/s
m/s
m/s
m/s
The students hypothesized that velocity of sound through a substance is directly dependent upon the density of that substance. In other words, as density increases, velocity of sound also increases. Because lead is the densest substance in Table 1, only velocities greater than 5,130 m/s (the velocity through iron) would satisfy the hypothesized relationship between velocity and density.
A scientist observed that when low energy types of electromagnetic radiation (light), such as visible light or ultraviolet light, were shone onto a conductive copper wire incorporated into a circuit with a light bulb as shown in Figure 1, the light bulb did not come on. However, when electromagnetic radiation of a higher energy, such as x-rays or gamma rays, was shone onto the wire, the light bulb did come on, indicating a current (electricity) was produced in the wire. The scientist hypothesized that this effect was due to the fact that electromagnetic radiation of a certain energy was able to overcome the attraction between electrons and protons in the individual atoms of copper in the wire, and liberate an electron to produce the electric current. He called this the photoelectric effect, and did the following experiments to further study this effect.
Figure 1
Experiment 1:
The scientist put a sample of copper in an instrument that can measure the energies of free-moving electrons. He shone a light source capable of producing specific energies of electromagnetic radiation on the metal and slowly increased the energy of the light. The instrument was used to measure the kinetic energies (energy due to motion) of any electrons that were liberated from the copper sample. The scientist recorded the energy of light used in frequency, where a low frequency corresponds to a low energy electromagnetic radiation, and a high frequency corresponds to a high frequency of electromagnetic radiation. He saw that no electrons could be detected at low frequencies, and that after a specific frequency he called the threshold frequency, the kinetic energy of liberated electrons increased linearly with increasing frequency of incident light as shown in Figure 2 below. The data was fitted with a line along which the data falls; the equation describing this line is shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2
Experiment 2:
The scientist removed the light bulb from the circuit shown in Figure 1 and replaced it with an instrument that can measure electrical charge. He then directed his x-ray source at the wire and slowly increased the intensity of the X-ray light while the frequency was held constant at . He monitored the current produced in the wire as the intensity of light increased and recorded the results in Figure 3 below. Intensity of light is measured in photons (a discrete particle, the fundamental unit of light) and charge in C_oulombs_, and like in Experiment 1, a linear equation is fitted to the data and shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3
The value corresponding to the binding energy of an electron to its positively charged nucleus is known as the work function, and corresponds to the y-intercept of the trend line produced when frequency of incident light is graphed against kinetic energy of liberated electrons. What is the work function for copper?
-4.7
-5.6
-1.3
2.2
Frequency is graphed against kinetic energy of liberated electrons in Figure 2 for a sample of copper as mentioned in the description for Experiment 1. The equation describing the line that best fits the scientist's data is shown. As a line is given by y = mx + b, where b is the y-intercept, the y-intercept is -4.7.
A scientist observed that when low energy types of electromagnetic radiation (light), such as visible light or ultraviolet light, were shone onto a conductive copper wire incorporated into a circuit with a light bulb as shown in Figure 1, the light bulb did not come on. However, when electromagnetic radiation of a higher energy, such as x-rays or gamma rays, was shone onto the wire, the light bulb did come on, indicating a current (electricity) was produced in the wire. The scientist hypothesized that this effect was due to the fact that electromagnetic radiation of a certain energy was able to overcome the attraction between electrons and protons in the individual atoms of copper in the wire, and liberate an electron to produce the electric current. He called this the photoelectric effect, and did the following experiments to further study this effect.
Figure 1
Experiment 1:
The scientist put a sample of copper in an instrument that can measure the energies of free-moving electrons. He shone a light source capable of producing specific energies of electromagnetic radiation on the metal and slowly increased the energy of the light. The instrument was used to measure the kinetic energies (energy due to motion) of any electrons that were liberated from the copper sample. The scientist recorded the energy of light used in frequency, where a low frequency corresponds to a low energy electromagnetic radiation, and a high frequency corresponds to a high frequency of electromagnetic radiation. He saw that no electrons could be detected at low frequencies, and that after a specific frequency he called the threshold frequency, the kinetic energy of liberated electrons increased linearly with increasing frequency of incident light as shown in Figure 2 below. The data was fitted with a line along which the data falls; the equation describing this line is shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2
Experiment 2:
The scientist removed the light bulb from the circuit shown in Figure 1 and replaced it with an instrument that can measure electrical charge. He then directed his x-ray source at the wire and slowly increased the intensity of the X-ray light while the frequency was held constant at . He monitored the current produced in the wire as the intensity of light increased and recorded the results in Figure 3 below. Intensity of light is measured in photons (a discrete particle, the fundamental unit of light) and charge in C_oulombs_, and like in Experiment 1, a linear equation is fitted to the data and shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3
The value corresponding to the binding energy of an electron to its positively charged nucleus is known as the work function, and corresponds to the y-intercept of the trend line produced when frequency of incident light is graphed against kinetic energy of liberated electrons. What is the work function for copper?
-4.7
-5.6
-1.3
2.2
Frequency is graphed against kinetic energy of liberated electrons in Figure 2 for a sample of copper as mentioned in the description for Experiment 1. The equation describing the line that best fits the scientist's data is shown. As a line is given by y = mx + b, where b is the y-intercept, the y-intercept is -4.7.
A physicist wishes to study the trajectory of a ball launched horizontally. She varies parameters such as the launching velocity, starting height, and mass of the ball. For each trajectory, she records the time of flight (in seconds) and horizontal displacement (in meters). She assumes air resistance is negligible.
Figure 1
Using all of the data she collects, she constructs the following table:
Table 1
Which of the following variables were controlled in Trial 2?
Mass of the ball and launching velocity
Starting height only
Starting height and launching velocity
Mass of the ball only
In Trial 2, only the starting height varies, as the mass of the ball and launching velocity remain constant.
A student is doing an experiment relating force and distance to work and work and time to power. She is given the following table:
Force | Distance | Work | Time |
---|---|---|---|
3 Newtons | 1 meter | 3 Joules | 10 Seconds |
4 Newtons | 10 meters | 40 Joules | 20 Seconds |
1.5 Newtons | 7 meters | 10.5 Joules | 1 Second |
She is also told that:
Power = Work/ Time
Work is in Joules and Time is in seconds. Power is measured in Watts.
If the Watts of power equals the amount needed to light the light bulb attached then the bulb will be lit. If more Watts of power are present, an attached light bulb will burn brighter.
If the student were to do an experiemt with a force of 6 Newtons and a distance of 1 meter, how much work would the student be doing?
6 Joules
12 Joules
5.5 Joules
0.3 Watts
The table values show that the Work is calculated by multiplying the force by the distance (in this case 6x1=6 Joules of power).
A student is doing an experiment relating force and distance to work and work and time to power. She is given the following table:
Force | Distance | Work | Time |
---|---|---|---|
3 Newtons | 1 meter | 3 Joules | 10 Seconds |
4 Newtons | 10 meters | 40 Joules | 20 Seconds |
1.5 Newtons | 7 meters | 10.5 Joules | 1 Second |
She is also told that:
Power = Work/ Time
Work is in Joules and Time is in seconds. Power is measured in Watts.
If the Watts of power equals the amount needed to light the light bulb attached then the bulb will be lit. If more Watts of power are present, an attached light bulb will burn brighter.
If the student were to do an experiemt with a force of 6 Newtons and a distance of 1 meter, how much work would the student be doing?
6 Joules
12 Joules
5.5 Joules
0.3 Watts
The table values show that the Work is calculated by multiplying the force by the distance (in this case 6x1=6 Joules of power).
A physicist wishes to study the trajectory of a ball launched horizontally. She varies parameters such as the launching velocity, starting height, and mass of the ball. For each trajectory, she records the time of flight (in seconds) and horizontal displacement (in meters). She assumes air resistance is negligible.
Figure 1
Using all of the data she collects, she constructs the following table:
Table 1
Which of the following variables were controlled in Trial 2?
Mass of the ball and launching velocity
Starting height only
Starting height and launching velocity
Mass of the ball only
In Trial 2, only the starting height varies, as the mass of the ball and launching velocity remain constant.