ACT Science OG Test 2 - Passage IV

Questions 21-27 are based on the following passage.

Physics students performed 3 studies to determine the forces that several doors exerted on their hinges. The doors had various weights, W, and widths, D. Each door had 2 hinges; the hinges could be moved to vary the distance, S, between them. None of the doors had a doorknob.
The 2 hinges on each door were equidistant from the center of mass of the door (see the diagram).





Each hinge was fitted with 2 force sensors. With the door attached to a door frame, one of the sensors detected the horizontal force exerted by the door on the hinge, Fh , and the other sensor detected the vertical force exerted by the door on the hinge, Fv. Once Fh and Fv were determined for each binge, Fh was averaged over the 2 hinges, yielding the average horizontal force per hinge, Fh,av, and Fv. was aver­aged over the 2 hinges, yielding the average vertical force per hinge, Fv,av. From Fh,av and Fv,av, the average net force per hinge, Fn,av, could be calculated.


In the 3 studies, all forces were recorded in pounds (lb) and all lengths were recorded in inches (in).

Study 1

For a door with W = 61 lb and D = 30 in, the students determined Fh,av and Fv,av at various S. The results are shown in Figure 1.




Study 2

For 3 doors, each with D = 30 in but a different W, the students determined Fn,av at various S. The results are shown in Figure 2.




Study 3

For 3 doors, each with W = 61 lb but a different D, the students determined Fn,av at various S. The results are shown in Figure 3.

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Question 21 In which study, if any, was the door with the greatest mass tested?