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In chemistry class

Allen determined the effectiveness of various metals in releasing hydrogen gas from hydrochloric acid. Several weeks later, Allen read that a utilities company was burying lead next to iron pipes to prevent rusting. Allen hypothesized that less rusting would occur with the more active metals. He placed the following into 4 seperate beakers of water:
(a) 1 iron nail,
(b) 1 iron nail wrapped with an aluminum strip,
(c) 1 iron nail wrapped with a magnesium strip, and
(d) 1 iron nail wrapped with a lead strip. He used the same amount of water, equal amounts (mass) of the metals, and the same type of iron nails. At the end of 5 days, he rated the amount of rusting as small, moderate, or large. He also recorded the color of the water. Is the dependant variable data Allen is gathering quantitative or qualitative?

User Xrstf
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

Allen's dependent variables in his chemistry experiment—rust amount and water color—are qualitative, as they rely on descriptive categorization rather than numerical measurement.

Step-by-step explanation:

In Allen's chemistry experiment, the dependent variable is the amount of rusting of the iron nails and the color of the water. These observations are qualitative because they involve descriptive data that can be categorized based on quality rather than numerical value. Rather than measuring rust with an instrument, Allen rated it as small, moderate, or large, and noted the color changes, both of which are qualitative assessments.so the answer is the dependable variable is qualitative.

User Denny Weinberg
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