Self-study
P1
One of the foundations of scientific research is that an experimental result is credible only if it can be replicated—only if performing the experiment a second time leads to the same result. ███
Foundation of science ·
Experimental results are credible only if they are replicable
Replicable = doing experiment again leads to same result.
Problem ·
Somm. and Ott (S and O) came up with a new physical system
In this system, the tiniest change in starting conditions can change results radically. (What does this mean? Not sure.) This system can be represented by a computer model involving a particle's motion within a force field. (Not sure what this means either.)
P2
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Analogy ·
S and O's new system is similar to riddled basins of attraction
Definition of basin of attraction ·
Bodies of water have basins of attaction
The basin for a particular body of water = area of land where, whenever water is spilled on it, it goes toward that body of water.
P3
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Definition of riddled basins ·
Can't predict where water will flow for some points in between basins
The boundaries between these basins are riddled with physical irregulataries, which is why you can't tell where the water will flow. Need to spill the water at a point and observe. If you spill at any other point, even one right next to it, the water might flow toward a different body of water.
P4
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S and O's system ·
The riddled boundary expands to every single point
So, rather than just the boundary line between two bodies of water being riddled, every point in the whole system is riddled. You can't tell even the general destination of a particle from any starting point.
Distinction between S and O's system and chaos ·
In chaos, you can predict general destination, but not path or exact destination
In S and O's system, you can't predict any of the three things.
P5
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Implication of S and O's system ·
Other similar systems might exist, and if so, this would question the replication requirement
It's possible that some experiments can't be replicated because even the slightest, unnoticeable change in starting conditions leads to different results.
Passage Style
Problem-analysis
Single position
24.
Given the information in the ████████ ████████ ███ ███ ███ ████ ██████ ██ █████ ████ █████ ███ ██ ███ ██████████
a
It is sometimes ██████████ ██ █████████ ███████ █ ██████████ ██████ ████████ ███████ ███████████
Not supported, because the author never discusses the ability to detect whether a region has fractal properties. Although the author does indicate that in some systems, we might not be able to recreate exact starting conditions, this doesn’t mean we can’t identify that the system has fractal properties.
b
It is sometimes ██████████ ██ ███████ ████ ███ ███████ ███████████ ██ █ ████████ ██████ ██ █ ███████ ███████
c
It is sometimes ██████████ ██ █████████ ███████ ███ ████████ ██████████ ██ ██ ███████████
d
It is usually ████████ ██ ███████ ███ █████ ████ █████ ████ ██████ ██ ██ ██ ███████ ██ █ █████ ███ ██ ███ ████████ ███████ ███ ██████ ██ ███████████
Not supported as a belief of Sommerer and Ott. Although we do know what can happen when a drop is spilled on the boundary, the passage never discusses what “usually” happens when a drop is not spilled on the boundary.
e
It is usually ████████ ██ █████████ ███ ████ ██ █████ █ ████████ ████████ █████ ███████████ █████ █████ ██ ███ ██████ ███ ███ ████████ ████████████
Not supported, because we don’t know anything about what’s usually determinable about a path after a particle has already reached its destination. The passage does discuss the possibility of predicting a path, but this is different from determining the path that was actually traveled.