Question

You are studying the boiling points of liquids with some fellow students. You have two liquids of different molecular weights, and you test each of them twice. You find that the one with a lower molecular weight also has a lower boiling point. You would like to be more confident with the pattern you are noticing. What are two possible next steps? In two to three sentences, give specific, different examples of how the experiment could be extended, assessed, or improved. Make your answer simple, coherent, intended for 9th grade.

Answer 1

1) Test more liquids and do more trials: pick 6–10 different liquids that span a range of molecular weights, measure each one’s boiling point at least three times, calculate the average boiling point for each liquid, and then plot boiling point versus molecular weight to see if the pattern holds.

2) Improve control and measurement: make sure every trial uses the same pressure, same sample size, same heating method, and pure chemicals, and use a calibrated thermometer (or digital probe) to get more accurate readings; repeat each measurement and report the average and the spread so you know how reliable your results are.