Year 8 Science · Unit 4 · Lesson 10

Reading and Interpreting Graphs

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Learning Goals

Read the graph

Study the line graph below showing dissolving time (s) vs temperature (°C). Answer the three questions.

0 20 40 60 80 Dissolving Time (s) 20 30 40 50 60 Temperature (°C) 85s 62s 41s 24s 17s Dissolving Time vs Temperature

Data: simulated salt-dissolving investigation, HSCScience Lab.

(a) Describe the trend shown in the graph. Use at least two specific values in your answer.

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(b) Use interpolation to estimate the dissolving time at 35°C. Show your reasoning.

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(c) Would it be reliable to extrapolate this graph to predict the dissolving time at 90°C? Explain why or why not.

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Enzyme investigation

Two students measured enzyme activity at pH values from 4 to 10. Student A's enzyme peaked at pH 7 with an activity of 95 units. Student B's enzyme peaked at pH 8 with an activity of 87 units. Both enzymes showed low activity below pH 5 and above pH 9.

(a) What does the graph tell us about the optimal pH for each enzyme? State the value for each student.

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(b) What conclusion can you draw about how pH affects enzyme activity? Use evidence from both students.

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(c) Why can't we conclude which enzyme is "better" from this data alone? What additional information would be needed?

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1. A graph shows a line that rises steeply at first, then levels off into a plateau. What does the plateau tell us about the relationship between the two variables at that point?

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2. A student says "the graph shows the experiment worked." Explain why this is a weak interpretation and how it could be improved.

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Wrap Up

In one sentence, what was the main idea of this lesson?