Examkin

Question

Difficulty: EasyDesigning Follow-Up Experiments and Test Modifications

A student conducted an experiment to measure the distance a 50 g50\text{ g} toy car traveled along a flat floor after rolling down a 1 m1\text{ m} wooden ramp set at an angle of 30∘30^\circ. The student performed 3 trials using the same car and ramp. Suppose the student wants to design a follow-up experiment to determine how the mass of the car affects the distance it travels. Which of the following modifications to the procedure should the student make to test this relationship?

  1. A
    Test the original 50 g50\text{ g} toy car on ramps of different materials and different lengths.
  2. B
    Test toy cars of different masses while increasing the ramp angle for each heavier car.
  3. Test toy cars of different masses while keeping the ramp angle, ramp length, and ramp material the same.Answer
  4. D
    Measure the time it takes the original 50 g50\text{ g} toy car to reach the bottom of the ramp at various release heights.

Answer

Test toy cars of different masses while keeping the ramp angle, ramp length, and ramp material the same.
The correct answer proposes varying only the mass of the toy car while keeping all other parameters—such as ramp angle, length, and material—constant. This isolates the car's mass as the single independent variable, which is necessary to determine its direct effect on the distance traveled.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the independent variable that needs to be tested in the follow-up experiment.
The independent variable is the mass of the toy car.
The student wants to determine the specific effect of the car's mass on the distance it travels.
2
Identify the controlled variables that must remain constant.
The ramp angle (30∘30^\circ), ramp length (1 m1\text{ m}), and ramp material (wooden) must remain unchanged across trials.
To ensure a fair test, all variables except the one being tested must be controlled.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the one that alters only the mass of the car while keeping the ramp conditions constant.
Testing cars of different masses with the same ramp setup is the correct design.
This isolates the mass of the car as the single independent variable affecting the dependent variable (distance traveled).

Key Concept

To isolate the effect of a new independent variable in a follow-up experiment, only that variable should be changed, while all other variables from the original design must be controlled.
Rate this question

Topics

Designing Follow-Up Experiments and Test Modifications

More questions from this topic