For fine aggregate, the splitter will have an equal number and equal width of chutes, at least 12, directing material to alternate sides.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not specified
• D. Indirects to alternate sides only sometimes

Answer: (A)

Representativeness of the sample depends on how evenly the material is split. A splitter built for fine aggregate uses many equal-width chutes so the flow from the batch is divided into multiple streams rather than biased toward a single outlet. Having twelve or more chutes ensures enough parallel paths to average out small irregularities in flow, while directing material to alternate sides helps balance any minor bias that could occur if one side tended to receive more material than the other. Together, this design minimizes sampling error and makes the collected sub-samples truly representative of the whole batch, which is essential for accurate grading and property testing.