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.)
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.
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.
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 ████████ ████████ ███ ███ ███ ████ ██████ ██ █████ ████ █████ ███ ██ ███ ██████████
Question Type
Implied
Other’s perspective
The correct answer is difficult to predict just based on the question stem, because almost the whole passage involves what Sommer and Ott found. Let’s rely on process of elimination.
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 ██████████ ██ ███████ ████ ███ ███████ ███████████ ██ █ ████████ ██████ ██ █ ███████ ███████
Anti-supported.
c
It is sometimes ██████████ ██ █████████ ███████ ███ ████████ ██████████ ██ ██ ███████████
Supported as a belief of Sommerer and Ott. In their system, even undetectable changes in starting conditions can change results dramatically. So, it would be difficult if not impossible to ensure that every experiment always has the same starting conditions.
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.
Difficulty
62% of people who answer get this correct
This is a difficult question.
It is somewhat easier than other questions in this passage.
CURVE
Score of students with a 50% chance of getting this right
25%144
157
75%171
Analysis
Implied
Other’s perspective
Problem-analysis
Science
Single position
Answer Popularity
PopularityAvg. score
a
3%
160
b
21%
160
c
62%
165
d
10%
162
e
5%
159
Question history
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