LR Question 15 Explanation
QUESTION TEXT: Physicists attempting to create new kinds of atoms…
QUESTION TYPE: Most Strongly Supported
FACTS:
- Physicists often try to make new atoms by fusing two existing atoms.
- To fuse atoms, you need to collide them at high speeds (meaning high energy). This overcomes the forces that repel atoms.
- But if there’s too much energy, the energy will become heat, and make the new atom hot.
- If the atom is too hot, it has higher odds of splitting.
ANALYSIS: It sounds like you need a lot of energy but not too much. Too little, the atoms won’t join. Too much, they’ll heat up and may split again.
The main difficulty here is the scientific language. On a passage like this, go slow, make sure you understand each term, and see how the parts link together. Redo this question and figure out the meaning of the words from context until you’ve got it. It will help you practice for other questions like it. I also recommend reading the science section of the Economist. It has a similar style: the material isn’t hard, but the terms are. However, they’re designed to be understood by a non-scientist.
___________
- We don’t know this. This would only be true if physicists usually use too much energy. They might instead create exactly the right amount of energy most times.
- Actually, the stimulus only mentioned atoms “immediately splitting apart again” if they have too much energy. If there isn’t energy, the atoms won’t join at all. Immediately splitting apart again implies the atoms briefly joined.
- The stimulus only said heat is produced if the energy used greatly exceeds the amount required. So if forces are strong, but you use just the right amount of energy, no heat is produced.
- Energy isn’t produced in the collision. Energy is used to make the collision happen.
- CORRECT. This follows. It basically joins the final two sentences. Too much energy = heat. Too much heat = immediately split apart. So, too much energy = immediately split apart again.
Recap: The question begins with “Physicists attempting to create new kinds of atoms”. It is a Most Strongly Supported question. Learn how to master LSAT MSS questions on the LSAT Logical Reasoning question types page.
More Resources for Most Strongly Supported Questions
- Intro Course lesson: This intro course lesson covers Most Strongly Supported questions.
- Mastery Seminar lesson: This LR Mastery seminar lesson covers most strongly supported questions.
I understood the stimulus very well. There’s an electric field repelling two atoms. In inorder to fuse them, there must be a force just a bit more than the magnetic field. But if too much force is used, excess energy is created. the more excess energy is created, the greater the chance it will split again.
This is what I understand. If a negligible amount of excess energy is created, there’s A CHANCE it immediately splits again. The greater the excess heat created, THE GREATER THE CHANCE.
Since the use of language is very particular when it comes to the LSAT, “answer choice E” is not supported at all.
The hottest atom created using the most considerable amount of excess energy may only have a 49% chance of immediately splitting again.
the language “likely” used in answer choice “E” implies a chance greater than 50%.
You have a solid analysis if this were a must be true question. That question type requires 100% certainty that the answer is true. But, this is a most strongly supported question. On these the criteria is more common sense, like do we probably expect the answer is true. So E is more like “We can say that probably this is probable”, i.e. less than 50%.
For instance, are you applying to law school? Probably. But I don’t have enough info to conclude that with 100% certainty. So I could pick “Samuel is applying to law school” as a MSS answer but not a MBT. Hope that helps!