CPC Research & Development Methods 2

Question 1

In Design of Experiments (DoE), a central composite design (CCD) is most commonly used to:

Accepted Answer

Fit a second-order response surface model

Answer

Central composite designs add axial (star) points to a factorial core specifically to estimate quadratic (second-order) terms in response surface methodology.

Question 2

Which statistical test is most appropriate when comparing the means of three or more independent experimental groups in a chemistry R&D study?

Accepted Answer

One-way ANOVA

Answer

One-way ANOVA tests whether the means of three or more independent groups differ significantly, controlling the Type I error rate across multiple comparisons.

Question 3

In a laboratory notebook, the primary purpose of requiring a witness signature on experimental pages is to:

Accepted Answer

Establish legal proof of inventorship and conception date

Answer

Witness signatures establish a verifiable, dated record of invention conception, which is critical in patent disputes and intellectual property proceedings.

Question 4

A scientist observes that repeat measurements of the same sample yield results that cluster tightly together but are consistently offset from the true value. This situation is best described as:

Accepted Answer

Low accuracy, high precision

Answer

Tight clustering indicates high precision (reproducibility), while a consistent offset from the true value indicates low accuracy (systematic bias).

Question 5

Plackett-Burman designs are specifically valued in early-stage R&D because they efficiently:

Accepted Answer

Screen many factors with a minimal number of runs

Answer

Plackett-Burman designs are resolution III screening designs that allow testing of N-1 factors in N runs, making them highly efficient for initial factor screening.

(CPC) Certified Professional Chemist Practice Test

(CPC) Certified Professional Chemist Practice Test

CPC Research & Development Methods 2