Definitions Flashcards
accuracy
level to which a measurement,
calculation, or specification conforms to the
correct value or a standard
activation energy
minimum level of energy
for a substance to be activated to react
chemically
active ingredient
substance/s present in a
plant that is biologically active and it can be
extracted for medicinal purposes
aim
purpose of the investigation
average speed
total distance travelled over
time
bias
when personal opinion affects how a
person weighs the validity of evidence
binary star
a pair of stars in orbit around
each other
bioprospecting
conducting tests to
determine whether an organism could be
used to manufacture a product
biopsy
taking samples of tissue from a
patient and testing these samples in a
laboratory; this technique is commonly
used to test if cells are cancerous
Boyle’s law
the product of the volume and
the pressures for a fixed mass of a gas at
constant temperature, is constant
calibrated
to have correlated the readings
of an instrument against that of a known
standard to ensure the accuracy of the
instrument
capture-recapture
a method to estimate
the population size by trapping them in
a small area, releasing them and then
extrapolating the total population
carcinogen
a chemical known to cause
cancer
catalysts
chemicals that increase the
reaction rate by lowering the activation
energy
causation
where a change in one variable
affects the other variable; also referred to as
cause and effect
Charles’ law
for a constant volume of gas
in a sealed container, the temperature of the
gas is directly proportional to its pressure
chronic
an illness that continually reappears or is experienced for a long time
circumference
the distance around a circle
confidence interval
a value, with an
associated margin of error, that indicates
the range in which a random sample from
the population is likely to fall into for a given
measure or treatment
confidence level
expressed as a percentage
likelihood that a repeated investigation on a
random sample will produce a comparable
result
conflict of interest
a situation in which
two parties or groups have incompatible
objectives. If such parties have an unequal
balance of power, then one party may use
their power for personal benefit
contradiction
a statement or depiction
that is inconsistent and does not adhere to
logic when compared to one or more other
statements or depictions
control
experimental set-up where the
independent variable is not applied
control group
the group in an investigation
that is used as a benchmark in comparison
to a second group that receives a prescribed
treatment
controlled variable
factor that is
kept constant during the experiment/
investigation
convenience sampling
a sample that is
used in an investigation primarily because it
is the most readily available sample that the
investigator can access
correlation
connection between two or
more things, or a measure of how things are
related
data
numerical or observational facts
collected together as evidence for analysis
data collection
gathering of qualitative or
quantitative measurements for the purpose
of statistical analysis
data logger
electronic or digital device that
records data either with a sensor or digital
aid
denatured
an enzyme that has been altered
by heat, acidity or some other effect
dependent variable
factor measured in the
investigation
double-blind trials
an experimental
technique in which neither the participants
nor the researcher in contact with them are
aware of who is receiving the treatment and
who gets the control
ecological
relating to the interactions of
species within an environment
efficacy
the ability of a product or process
to produce a desired result
element
primary constituent of matter that
can undergo chemical reactions
empirical data
information collected by
observations or measurements during an
investigation
enzymes
catalysts that assist biochemical
reactions in organisms
error
measure of the estimated difference
between the observed or calculated value of
a quantity and its true value
estimation
a rough calculation of the value
of something
ethical
whether what is being done
conforms to good standards of behaviour
ethics
rules established by social systems
that govern ‘right’ and ‘wrong’
evaluation
make a judgement based on
evidence
extrapolation
extension from a range of
plotted data to infer new values from the
known ones
fertiliser
a substance added to soil to aid in
plant growth
fieldwork
investigation conducted outside
the laboratory
friction
a force of resistance when two
surfaces rub against each other
gas
a fluid state of matter that fill all parts
of a given container because the particles
move freely
gastrointestinal tract
gastrointestinal tract
germline gene therapy
the process where
DNA is transferred to the cells that produce
reproductive cells
halo effect
a psychological phenomenon
where a person is perceived more favourably
because of an initial positive perception of
that person
hypothesis
educated guess tested through
experimentation to answer the inquiry
question; states the relationship between
the independent and dependent variables
ideology
a set of beliefs and ideas, both
conscious and unconscious, that an
individual or group of individuals, have in
relation to the way the world works. Also
referred to as a worldview
incentive
a structure or thing that
encourages and motivates someone to
behave in a given manner
incubation period
the period of time
between initial exposure to an infection and
the appearance of symptoms
independent variable
factor deliberately
changed during an investigation to obtain
data
innate bias
the tendency for an individual to draw a flawed inference because of the assumptions and experiences that have influenced them and the mental ‘short cuts’ the brain makes when making an observation
inquiry question
driving force of the
research; can be investigated scientifically
insecticide resistance
a microevolutionary process whereby insect
populations become increasingly resistant
to the effects of an insecticide
interpolation
estimating new data points
within the range of data points
justification
support an argument
Large Hadron Collider
particle accelerator
that propels subatomic particles (hadrons)
at high speed
line of best fit
trendline that best fits the
plotted data, it goes through the centre of
the plotted data
log book
journal taken during the
investigation where all data, observations,
results, inquiries and conclusions are
registered
lymphocytes
a white blood cell with a
single, round nucleus
mean
a central tendency within the range
of a data set, calculated by adding all the
values in a data set and dividing by the
number of values
median
the central value within the range
of a data set; a value that is generally
determined by having an equal number of
values from the data set on each side. (larger
data samples and group frequencies make
this calculation more complex)
medicinal plant
a plant with
pharmaceutical properties possessing an
active ingredient that can be extracted for
medicinal purposes
method
experimental steps to follow to
collect data and test the hypothesis of an
investigation
methodology
a way of going about an
investigation
mode
the most common value recorded
within the range of a data set
model
two- or three-dimensional
representation or description of a process,
system or idea
moral
a judgement about whether what is
being done is good or bad
nuclear fission
a nuclear reaction where
energy is released from splitting atoms
observer-expectancy effect
an effect in
which an individual making a judgement on
the presented data is inadvertently biased
by their own preconceptions of the subject
to be judged
open access
a journal that allows scientific
researchers to pay to have their paper
published a class of open-access journals
that solicit money, often from inexperienced
research scientists that want to get their
paper published, but do not enforce the
recognised cross-checking processes such
as peer review to ensure scientific rigour
peer review
process in which experts
review and critique the work and research of
others in the same field
peptic ulcer
a break in the tissue of the
digestive system, mainly in the stomach,
that causes pain, among other symptoms
pharmacological
the characteristics and
properties of a drug that make it medically
effective
pitch
a property of sound waves; highfrequency sounds have a high pitch, while a
lower-frequency sound has a low pitch
placebo
a medicine or procedure that has
no therapeutic effect
post-publication peer review
a process
of peer review that is done after the
publication of the research paper that
utilises the flexibility of online media
primary data
data you have collected
yourself
pseudoscience
a practice that portrays
itself as a science, often through complex
terminology and processes but does not
meet the criteria for contributing to the
greater knowledge and/ or burden of
evidence for science
publish or perish
a phenomenon in
academic disciplines where academics need
to regularly publish or risk losing research
funding or their job
quadrat
a process by which a small area is
examined to estimate the population of a
species within a larger area
qualitative data
descriptive data collected
as evidence during an investigation (e.g.
images, observational sentences)
quantitative data
numerical values
collected as evidence during an
investigation (e.g. calculations are usually
part of the analysis, not data collection
measurements)
radar
an acronym for RAdio Detection And
Ranging (or RAdio Direction And Ranging),
which is a system used to detect the
presence of objects over long distances
radiant heat
heat transfered by
electromagnetic waves
reaction rate
speed at which a chemical
reaction occurs
red/blue shift
when spectral lines move
towards the red or blue end of the visible
spectrum
reliability
extent to which an observation
and/or measurement can be repeated
under the same circumstances and produce
similar results
replicable
able to be repeated
reproducibility crisis
a phenomenon
where the number of research papers being
published cannot be reasonably crosschecked by reproducing the investigation
and/ or that insufficient replication is being
done before publication
reputable
to be seen as well respected and
trusted
respiration
process by which organisms
produce energy
retracted
the removal of a published paper/
book by the journal editors as a result of
misconduct, such as fraud
risk assessment
evaluation of the risks of
an investigation
safety hazard
expected risk during an
investigation
sample bias
is the tendency to under or
over represent a particular group within the
sample population
sample size
number of observations or
replications in an experiment
scientific investigation
an organised
approach to solving a scientific question
scientific theory
an explanation of an
aspect of the world that can be tested
secondary data
data collected by other
people and published
species
group of living organisms with
similar characteristics that can interbreed
spectral pattern
when light is viewed
through a spectrograph, the parts of the
spectrum have distinct spectral lines that
represent the various chemical elements
summer solstice
longest day of the year;
that is, when the most amount of sun is seen
stereotyping
the process of classifying
someone (or something) on the basis of
superficial characteristics and attributing
generalisations to all individuals that fit
within the bounds of that classification
summer solstice
longest day of the year;
that is, when the most amount of sun is seen
survivor selection
a research phenomenon
where not all participants who begin a
longitudinal study complete it. For this
reason, incomplete data on participants is
removed to maintain the integrity of the
study
technology
practically applying knowledge
to create a device for practical purposes in
any area of research
terminology
the specialised terms and
words used within a particular field or
profession that have a technical definition
within this context
tissue culture
a group of living cells grown
under laboratory conditions
treatment
variation of the independent
variable
true
a depiction of a phenomena that
conforms to or reflects reality
true value
measurement with no errors
uncertainty
interval (±) around the
measured value compared to the true value
vaccine
a weakened form of an antigen (or a synthetic substitute) that initiates an immune response to stimulate the production of antibodies and provide immunity to the targeted disease
valid
extent to which a report or
investigation contains accurate data,
inferences and conclusions
variable
measurable factor that can be
changed or maintained in an experiment/
investigation
vector
an organism that transmits a disease
from one organism to another
vested interest
a situation where a person
or group would benefit from influencing
circumstances to favour their position
voltage
force pushing electrons around the
circuit
voluntary response samples
a sample
(most commonly of people) that is
investigated because they are willing to take
part in the investigation
