Ch. 2 Key Terms

Question 1

Observation

Answer 1

the action or process of observing something or someone carefully or in order to gain information.

Question 2

Hypothesis

Answer 2

a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.

Question 3

Prediction

Answer 3

a thing predicted; a forecast.

Question 4

Experiment

Answer 4

a scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact.

Question 5

Variable

Answer 5

a quantity that may change within the context of a mathematical problem or experiment

Question 6

Experimental Group

Answer 6

a group of subjects who are exposed to the variable under study

Question 7

Control group

Answer 7

A scientific control is an experiment or observation designed to minimize the effects of variables other than the independent variable.

Question 8

Data

Answer 8

facts and statistics collected together for reference or analysis.

Question 9

Correlation

Answer 9

a mutual relationship or connection between two or more things.

Question 10

Statistics

Answer 10

the practice or science of collecting and analyzing numerical data in large quantities, especially for the purpose of inferring proportions in a whole from those in a representative sample.

Question 11

Mean

Answer 11

is the central value of a discrete set of numbers

Question 12

Distribution

Answer 12

the action of sharing something out among a number of recipients.

Question 13

Probability

Answer 13

is the branch of mathematics concerning numerical descriptions of how likely an event is to occur.

Question 14

Sample

Answer 14

a small part or quantity intended to show what the whole is like.

Question 15

Risk

Answer 15

a situation involving exposure to danger.

Question 16

Model

Answer 16

a three-dimensional representation of a person or thing or of a proposed structure, typically on a smaller scale than the original.

Question 17

Conceptual Model

Answer 17

representation of a system, made of the composition of concepts which are used to help people know, understand, or simulate a subject the model represents.

Question 18

Mathematical Model

Answer 18

a description of a physical system using mathematical concepts and language.

Question 19

Value

Answer 19

the regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something.

Question 20

Decision-Making model

Answer 20

The process for concluding which decisions need to be made and how to find alternatives for each decision.