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LSAT Preptest 149, Section 1, Question 15

"Physicists attempting to create new kinds of atoms..."

Explanation

A. The passage does not claim that new atoms usually split apart again immediately after they are created; it only states that there is a greater chance of this happening if the atom is very hot.


B. The passage indicates that if the energy with which two atoms collide greatly exceeds the minimum required for fusion, the excess energy converts to heat, not that a lack of energy would lead to immediate splitting.


C. While the passage mentions heat, it does not directly link the strength of the electromagnetic force to the temperature of the new atom created by the fusion.


D. The passage does not suggest that little energy is produced in the collision unless the new atom immediately splits apart. It says that excess energy leads to heat, which can increase the chances of the new atom splitting apart.


E. (Correct Response) The passage supports this option by stating that when the energy of the collision is considerably more than what is needed for fusion, the excess energy is converted into heat, making the new atom very hot. Since the hotter the atom, the greater the chance of it splitting apart again, it follows that if two atoms collide with more energy than needed for fusion, the new atom is likely to split apart immediately.

The statement most strongly supported by the information in the passage is option E, which directly correlates the likelihood of the new atom splitting apart again with the excess energy involved in its creation.

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