8A Building Science Skills Flashcards
Define the term precise.
Measurements that are close to the mean value.
Define the term accuracy.
How close an experimental answer is to the true value.
What does reproducible mean?
Consistent results using the same method.
Name a piece of apparatus that can be used to measure volume.
Measuring cylinder.
Why is using a 25 cm3 measuring cylinder better than a 100 cm3 one, to measure 18 cm3?
It would give a more accurate volume.
Describe what repeated results that had high precision would look like.
All the results would be similar.
How do external jaws on Vernier callipers make them accurate than a ruler?
It ensures the object cannot move when measuring.
What is the resolution of the ruler in your pencil case?
1mm.
What is used to draw a scientific diagram?
A pencil.
How is a Bunsen burner represented in a scientific drawing?
An arrow.
Why do scientists construct scientific diagrams?
To understand how equipment must be set up for an experiment.
What should a scientific drawing not include?
No shading.
Why are scientific diagrams used instead of pictures?
The diagram has more detail and you can see all of the equipment.
How can we make sure scientific diagrams are as clear as can be?
Draw separate lines with a ruler for labels, draw apparatus as a cross section, draw it as large as necessary.
One end of the label line has the name of the piece of apparatus. Where does the other end of the label line go?
Touching the piece of equipment it labels.
What is something that can be changed and measured?
A variable.
Which variable is measured during an experiment?
Dependent.
Which variable is changed during an experiment?
Independent.
Which variable(s) is kept the same during an experiment?
Control.
Why is it important to keep control variables the same during an experiment?
To make sure they don’t affect the outcome of the experiment.
When dropping a ball from different heights to see how high it bounces, what is the IV?
The height the ball is dropped from.
When timing how long it takes for different volumes of fuel to burn what is the DV?
How long it takes for the fuel to burn.
Define the term valid.
An experiment that measures what it is supposed to.
What is a prediction based on?
Data collected from observations.
What is often used to test a hypothesis?
An experiment.
Practical predictions suggest a relationship between which variables?
Independent and Dependent.
Questions that help come up with a hypothesis are often based on what?
Observations.
Suggest a hypothesis for the following experiment - using different sizes of paper towel to soak up water.
Different sizes of paper towel can soak up different volumes of water.
Give a prediction for the hypothesis – the amount of water a paper towel can soak up depends on the size of the paper towel.
More water is soaked up by a larger paper towel.
Pick the best hypothesis for the experiment – “heating up different volumes of water until the water starts to boil”.
The volume of water affects the boiling point of water.
Which comes first when following the scientific method – hypothesis or prediction?
Hypothesis.
What is the purpose of a method?
To describe how an experiment should be done.
What should also be included with a list of instructions in the method?
Numbered points or a diagram.
If a method is well planned, what are other scientists able to do?
Complete the experiment and get a similar outcome.
How many steps are there in planning an experiment?
6.
True or False: “if an experiment is well planned the data produced is more likely to be precise and accurate”
TRUE.
Why is a risk assessment produced before an experiment is carried out?
To identify if there are any possible hazards and how to minimise them.
What are the two types of error?
Random and Systematic.
Measuring from the end of a ruler instead of from 0 is an example of which type of error?
Systematic error.
What is a unit of measurement?
What we measure a quantity in.
What is the standard index unit for temperature?
Degrees Celsius.
How do you convert m to km?
Divide by 1000.
How do you convert km to dm?
Multiply by 10,000.
Convert 345 kilometers to metres.
345,000 m.
Convert 10 milliamps into amps.
0.01 A.
When the units get larger, what happens to the size of the number?
It gets smaller.
When the numbers get bigger what happens to the units?
It gets bigger.
Why are results organised into results tables?
To analyse data and determine if a hypothesis is correct.
In which column of the table does the independent variable go in?
The first column.
In which column of the table does the dependent variable go in?
The second column.
Why do units go in the header of the table?
To avoid writing them out multiple times.
How should the values of a continuous independent variable be organised?
Ascending order (smallest to biggest).
Calculate the mean of the following: 12s, 19s, 10s.
11s.
Why are tests repeated?
To calculate a mean.
True or false: “units are not needed when drawing a graph”
FALSE.
What is the name of a result that should be ignored when drawing the line of best fit?
Anomalies.
Which variable goes on the horizontal axis?
Independent.
Which variable goes on the vertical axis?
Dependent.
What type of variable is time?
Continuous.
When should a bar chart be plotted?
If the data is categoric.
A pie chart is used to show what type of data?
Categoric.
How much of the graph paper should a graph take up?
At least half.
Define the term gradient.
The numerical relationship between variables.
What is a positive correlation?
Both variables increase and the line of best fit goes up.
What does ‘interpreting relationships’ mean?
Finding patterns in data on a graph or chart.
What should a conclusion include?
It will quote data from the results table and describes the relationship between variables.
How is the gradient of a line calculated?
Change in y/ change in x.
Describe the relationship between variables A & B as shown by
a) the yellow line
b) the blue line
c) the red line
A) Positive correlation
B) As A increases, B increases, at a decreasing rate.
C) As A increases, B increases, at an increasing rate.
