PAPER 2 - Research Methods - Maths Flashcards
How do you create a percentage?
Number of participants/Total number of participants x 100 = %
How do you convert a percentage to a decimal?
Remove the percentage sign and move the decimal point two places to the left.
Define decimal places.
The number of digits to the right of the decimal point.
How do you convert a decimal to a fraction?
Work out the number of decimal places in your number.
If there are two decimal places then you divide by 100, if there are three decimal places then you divide by 1000 etc….
The number of decimal places equals the number of zeros.
Sometimes you can reduce the fraction by finding the highest common factor, the biggest number that divides evenly into both parts of the fraction.
How do you express information as a ratio?
Part to whole ratio….a number of participants:total number of participants.
Part to part ratio….a number of participants:another number of participants.
Sometimes you can reduce the ratio by finding the highest common factor, the biggest number that divides evenly into both parts of the ratio.
Why are estimates useful?
They can be used to provide a broad idea of what the results of a calculation will be.
What are order of magnititude calculations?
Another kind of estimate, using standard form and comparing the exponents. You can then say how many times, bigger or smaller one number is than another.
Describe standard form?
A shorthand used to express very large or very small numbers.
What is the name of these symbols and their meanings/definitions?
> <
>
«
∝
≈
Equal signs, equality
Strict inequality, greater than
Strict inequality, lesser than
Inequality, much greater than
Inequality, much less than
Proportional to, proportional to
Approximately equal, weak approximation
Why are significant figures useful?
When we’re faced with long numbers, for the sake of clarity, rounding off to the nearest significant figure is useful.
