Are there science questions on the act

Bond order is the number of electron pairs shared between the two atoms. For diatomic molecules, bond energy is equivalent to the dissociation energy , which is the amount of energy required to pull apart the atoms in a diatomic molecule.

Figure 1 shows the potential energy curve for a system of two hydrogen atoms. Table 1 presents bond lengths and energies for covalent bonds of varying orders. Table 2 presents the bond length and dissociation energies for a number of diatomic molecules. Figure 1 Based on information in the passage and Figure 1, as the distance between two hydrogen atoms decreases, the attractive force between the atoms:.

Answer: C increases, then decreases. This involves things like identifying variables and controls, as well as comparing, extending, and modifying experiments. Sometimes, you may also see them in Conflicting Viewpoints passages, particularly regarding experiment design and significance.

The Big Bang theory states that the universe exploded from a single point known as a singularity and has expanded over the course of Three scientists provide different explanations for the observed expansion rate of the universe.

The universe is expanding at an increasing rate. Galaxies move away from one another as the universe expands. The light they emit is stretched by the expansion as it travels through an expanding space.

The result is a shift towards the red end of the color spectrum, known as the galactic redshift. The further away from the earth a galaxy is, the greater the redshift. Supernovae are explosions caused when massive stars collapse under their own gravity.

Type 1a supernovae always release light with the same amount of intensity, which makes them useful for measuring cosmic distances because intensity is lost as their light travels through an expanding space. Comparing the color of light measured when it reaches Earth with the color at the time of the supernova explosion gives the amount of redshift and thus the distance. Distances determined by observing the redshift of type 1a supernovae confirm that the expansion of the universe is accelerating.

To explain this, cosmological models need some new kind of accelerating energy—a dark energy that accelerates the expansion of the universe. The universe is not expanding at all. In our own galaxy, distant stars appear fainter and smaller, but their surface brightnesses remain constant. In contrast, the Big Bang theory tells us that, in an expanding universe, surface brightness decreases with distance.

Therefore, the most distant galaxies should have much dimmer surface brightnesses than similar nearby galaxies. But this is not supported by observations. Contrary to the predictions of the Big Bang theory, the surface brightnesses of distant galaxies are identical to nearby ones. Supernovae data confirm that galaxy distance is proportional to the redshift at all distances.

The predictions of this simple formula do not need to include complex corrections for hypothetical dark matter and dark energy. The redshift of light over increasing distance must be caused by another phenomenon, one that causes the intensity of light itself to decrease as it travels through space. The supernovae data do not imply that the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate.

The standard Big Bang theory is a mathematical model, not a physical portrayal of how light released from a supernova explosion disperses into an expanding universe. When a supernova explodes, its energy begins to disperse. By the time we observe the flash, the universe has become larger and more dilute.

Accordingly, the intensity of light has decreased proportionally to the distance traveled. This physical portrayal explains the observed redshift values without need for a mysterious dark energy that increases the rate of expansion of the universe. Which scientist would be most likely to predict that the expansion of the universe will be faster in the future than it is today?

Scientist 1 Scientist 2 Scientist 3 None of the scientists. Answer: A Scientist 1. One of the most common ways bacteria are grown in a lab is called batch culture.

In batch culture, bacteria are added to a fixed amount of liquid growth media, a solution that contains nutrients for bacterial growth and allowed to grow under defined environmental conditions. Lag phase: Immediately after they are added to a new media bacteria must adjust their metabolism to the new environment before they begin growing and dividing.

The number of bacteria in the culture does not change during this phase. Log phase: Bacteria actively grow and divide, and the number of bacteria in the culture grows exponentially. Stationary phase: When an essential nutrient in the media is depleted, growth slows substantially, such that growth rate in the culture becomes equal to death rate. The number of bacteria in the culture is unchanged. Death phase: When culture conditions can no longer sustain any growth, bacteria die off exponentially.

The scientists do not disagree on the other three answer choices. The location of the event choice F and speed of the object choice G are given in the initial description, and the scientists don't disagree on the density of Earth's atmosphere choice H. Once again, your familiarity with the content, in this case comets and asteroids, is not important. What is important is your ability to read two different points of view and quickly hone in on similarities and differences.

Even if you knew nothing about comets or asteroids, it would be possible to get this question right by using critical reading skills. If you can read and interpret graphs, charts, and tables, analyze differing opinions, and understand the scientific method and study design, you will do well on ACT Science. This section tests your scientific skills, not your knowledge of scientific facts.

As you practice for this section, focus on how well you are able to quickly read and understand data and experiments. Also make sure you are able to compare different viewpoints and find similarities and differences.

Doing specific ACT preparation and using practice questions will help you see if your scientific reasoning skills are strong enough to do well on this section. It contains dozens of ACT Science guides going into every question type tested, strategies to tackle the questions, and how you should be organizing your prep to raise your score.

Now that you know what the ACT science section tests, try out a full practice science section with free, official ACT practice tests online. Do you have advanced science skills you want to show to colleges?

Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically. Halle Edwards graduated from Stanford University with honors. She also took nine AP classes, earning a perfect score of 5 on seven AP tests. As a graduate of a large public high school who tackled the college admission process largely on her own, she is passionate about helping high school students from different backgrounds get the knowledge they need to be successful in the college admissions process.

Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub. See how other students and parents are navigating high school, college, and the college admissions process. Ask questions; get answers. How to Get a Perfect , by a Perfect Scorer. Score on SAT Math. Score on SAT Reading. The questions focus on the design of the experiments and the interpretation of experimental results.

The questions focus on the understanding, analysis, and comparison of alternative viewpoints or hypotheses. This action will open a new window. Do you want to proceed? OK Cancel. Close Go. Once you can confidently do 5 passages with reasonable accuracy, work your way up to 6 and then 7.

If you have a limited time to study and your accuracy significantly drops after 5 passages, just stick to 5 on Test Day. Read the passages to understand the gist and the data that is presented, but also move back to the passage to locate the information you need to answer the questions. Memory alone will not suffice. You may find it helpful to jot down a few short notes on each passage. Drawing arrows and circling important info is also a great idea.

When asked about a data point that is not explicitly shown on a table or graph, you can assume that the trends presented in the passage will continue. Use this to extend the line or to estimate the value of the new point. Set a timer the next time your work on an ACT Science practice test, and see if you can stick to these checkpoints.

This is the ideal timing for the actual exam:.