Question

questions 3 through 5 refer to the following. a group of students wanted to determine if soil texture can vary by location. several students brought in a sample of soil from their backyards. each student added their soil sample of equal mass to a jar with exactly the same amount of water, shook the contents so that all soil particles were suspended in the water, and left the jars covered overnight. the next morning, the soil particles had settled out into layers and students could determine the percentage of each type of particle. the results of their soil test are shown below. soil texture test results soil sample a 10% clay 10% silt soil sample b 20% clay 40% silt soil sample c 80% clay 10% silt a student claims that soil sample b would be classified as a loam. which of the following best describes the method used by the student to reach this conclusion? a the student added water to the soil sample and determined the amount of water required to saturate the soil b the student oven - dried the soil sample following separation and calculated the percent change in mass of the remaining sand and silt after the sample cooled. c the student calculated the amount of soil mass lost overnight in each soil sample that resulted from the evaporation of the clay and silt.

Explanation:

Loam soil is defined by its specific particle - size composition. To classify soil as loam, one needs to determine the percentage of different soil particles (clay, silt, and sand). By adding soil to water, shaking to suspend particles, and letting them settle, the percentage of each type of particle can be determined.

Answer:

None of the above options are correct as the appropriate method is to separate and determine the percentage of clay, silt, and sand particles by the sedimentation method described in the experiment setup, not the methods described in A, B, or C.