Ch.2 Key Terms Flashcards
hypothesis
a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.
observation
the action or process of observing something or someone carefully or in order to gain information.
prediction
a thing predicted; a forecast.
experiment
a scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact.
variable
not consistent or having a fixed pattern; liable to change.
experimental group
a group of subjects who are exposed to the variable under study: a lower infection rate in the experimental group that received the vaccine.
control group
A scientific control is an experiment or observation designed to minimize the effects of variables other than the independent variable.
data
facts and statistics collected together for reference or analysis.
correlation
a mutual relationship or connection between two or more things.
statistics
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.
mean
the average of all numbers
distribution
the action of sharing something out among a number of recipients.
probability
Probability is the branch of mathematics concerning numerical descriptions of how likely an event is to occur, or how likely it is that a proposition is true.
sample
a small part or quantity intended to show what the whole is like.
risk
a situation involving exposure to danger.
