Question

A student is conducting an experiment using a ball that is attached to the end of a string on a pendulum. The student pulls the ball back so that it is at an angle to its resting position. As the student releases the ball, it swings forward and backward. The student measures the time it takes the ball to make on complete period. A period is defined as the time it takes the ball to swing forward and back again to its starting positions. That is repeated using different string lengths. Lengthening the string of the pendulum increases the time it takes the ball to make on complete period.

What correction would you have the student make to the hypothesis?

A. Turn it into an "if/then" statement.
B. Add the word "will" in the middle after the word "pendulum.
C. Switch the order of the sentence so that the phrase about the period comes first, and the phrase about the string's length is last.
D. No corrects are needed.

Answer 1

The student should make the correction of turning the hypothesis into an 'if/then' statement.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student should make the correction of turning the hypothesis into an 'if/then' statement.

Instead of stating that 'lengthening the string of the pendulum increases the time it takes the ball to make one complete period,' the student should rephrase it as 'if the length of the string is increased, then the time it takes the ball to make one complete period will also increase.'

This correction makes the hypothesis clearer and follows the logical structure of an 'if/then' statement, clearly identifying the independent variable (length of the string) and the dependent variable (time it takes for the ball to make one complete period).