Practical Skills Flashcards
Accuracy
A measurement result is considered accurate if it is judged to be close to the true value
Calibration
Marking a scale on a measuring instrument
-placing a thermometer in Melting water to see wether it reads 0 degrees
Data
Information, either qualitative on quantitative, that had been collected
Measurement error
The difference between a measured value and the true value
Anomalies
These are values in a set of results which are judged not to be part of the variation, caused by random uncertainty
Random error
These cause readings to be spread about the true value, due to an unpredictable result from one measurement to the next. Present when any measurement is made
How to reduce random error
Make more measurements and calculate a new mean
Systematic error
Cause readings to differ from the true value by a consistent amount each time a measurement is made
Sources of systematic error
Environment, methods of observation, or instruments used
How do deal with a systematic error
Data collection should be repeated using a different technique or a different set of equipment, and the results compared
Zero error
A measuring system gives a false reading when the true value of measured quantity is zero
Evidence
Data which has been shown to be valid
Fair test
When only the independent variable has been allowed to affect the dependent variable
Hypothesis
A proposal intended to explain certain facts or observations
Interval
The quantity between readings
