ACT Preparation / Unit 23 ACT 2218 review, 2 to 3 minutes
A Science Research Summary Set
The idea
Science passages present data, experiments or competing explanations, and the questions ask you to read, design and evaluate. Read all the text and every figure first, note the variables and controls, summarize each viewpoint, and answer from the passage, adding background knowledge only where the passage leaves a gap. No calculator is allowed.
In practice
Worked passage, invented for the course: "A student tested how the angle of a solar panel affects its output. In Experiment 1, a panel faced south at angles of 0, 20, 40 and 60 degrees from flat, at noon on a clear day, and produced 50, 62, 66 and 58 watts. In Experiment 2, the panel was held at 40 degrees and measured at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m., producing 40, 66 and 44 watts." Question one, the variables: in Experiment 1, the angle is independent and the output dependent, while the time, the direction and the weather are controlled. Question two, the trend: output rises from 0 to 40 degrees, peaks at 40, and falls at 60. Question three, interpolation: at 30 degrees, output would fall between 62 and 66, about 64 watts. Question four, a comparison: at 40 degrees, the noon output exceeds the 9 a.m. output by 26 watts. Question five, design: to test whether dust affects output, keep the angle at 40 degrees and the time at noon, and compare a clean panel with a dusty one.
Where people slip
Three habits carry forward from the science units. Name the variables before reading any number. Describe trends from the whole series, peaks included. And change one factor at a time when designing a test. That completes the course: every section's skills, applied in the format of test day.
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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