ACT Preparation / Unit 20 ACT 1924 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Reading Two Experiments Together
The idea
Two experiments are read together in three steps. First, state each experiment's independent variable, dependent variable and controls. Second, find what changed from one to the other. Third, answer comparison questions by matching conditions: compare results only where the other conditions are the same.
In practice
Worked example: in invented experiment 1, a ball rolled down a 20-degree ramp travels 1.2 meters past its end on wood and 0.8 on carpet. In invented experiment 2, the ramp is raised to 30 degrees, and the ball travels 1.8 meters on wood and 1.2 on carpet. What changed: the ramp angle. On each surface, the steeper ramp sent the ball farther. Comparing 1.2 on wood at 20 degrees with 1.2 on carpet at 30 degrees mixes two changes and shows nothing.
Where people slip
Match the conditions before comparing numbers. Equal results under different conditions do not mean the factors had equal effects.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
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