Scientific Method Flashcards
Scientific Method
An objective method to explore the natural world, draw inferences from it and predict the outcomes of certain events, processes, or changes
Hypothesis
A testable conjecture about how something works
Null Hypothesis
A prediction that there is no difference between groups or conditions or a statement or an idea that can be falsified or proved wrong
Replication
The data collection procedure of taking repeated measurements
Sample size (n)
The number of times a measurement is replicated in a data collection
Accuracy
How close a measured value is to the actual or true value
Precision
How close the repeated measurements of a sample are to one another
Uncertanity
An estimate of how much measured or calculated value different from a true value
Theory
A hypothesis that has been repeatedly tested and confirmed by multiple groups of researchers and has reached wide acceptance
Control group
In a scientific investigation, a group that experiences exactly the same conditions as the experimental group, except for the single variable under study
Natural Experiment
A natural event that acts as an experimental treatment in an ecosystem
