Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Nat 5 Physics > Scientific Skills > Flashcards

Scientific Skills Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
Physics 101 flashcards AP® Physics flashcards
1
Q

Reliability of media reports on scientific discoveries is…

A

Not very good as they usually aren’t peer-reviewed, although, typically, they are based on peer-reviewed data, but this data can be misinterpreted or oversimplified causing bias and inaccuracy.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What economic issue affects experiments?

A

Budget constraints. Hard to fund experiments without cutting back in other areas.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What social issue arises from research?

A

Laws based on research affecting lives

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is a personal issue caused by scientific advancement? What other issue may arise from scientific advancements?

A

Concerns about how something like the construction of a nuclear power plant in your area would affect you, even if you may agree with the use of nuclear energy.
Environmental issues.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is needed to answer scientific questions?

A

Data that is of high quality and accurate that supports hypotheses.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Why do some scientific questions remain unanswered?

A

sometimes data can’t be collected with current technology or there simply might not be enough data to support a theory.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is an important part of designing investigations?

A

Ensuring safety

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What must every investigation have?

A

An aim

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What does an aim describe?

A

Purpose of investigation and what you hope to discover/achieve/prove.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What does the scientific method involve?

A

observing something that isn’t currently explainable by our knowledge, creating a hypothesis to explain the phenomena and then conducting experiments and investigations to prove or disprove the hypothesis.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What happens when a hypothesis is backed by experiments?

A

It becomes a theory.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What defines reliable data?

A

Can be reproduced.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is repeatable data?

A

when the same person, with the same experiment and equipment can repeat the results of the same experiment multiple times

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is reproducible data?

A

Different person, similar results.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

How many times should results be done for repeatability?

A

Minimum of three times.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What are the criteria for valid results?

A

Repeatable, reproducible, answer original question

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What must experiments be to ensure validity?

A

Fair

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What is a variable in experiments?

A

Something that can be changed

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What do experiments often change to observe effects?

A

One variable

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What is the independent variable?

A

Variable you change

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What is the dependent variable?

A

Variable you measure

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What are control variables?

A

Variables that stay the same

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What is a control experiment?

A

You can’t always control variables so sometimes you need a control experiment which is an experiment kept under the same conditions as the rest of the investigation but doesn’t have anything done to it. This is to see what happens when there are no changes.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What is precise data?

A

when the different data sets are still all very similar and don’t deviate much.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What is resolution in measuring instruments?

A

Smallest change detectable by equipment

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Why must equipment be calibrated?

A

equipment must be calibrated to the experiments by measuring a known value. If there’s a difference between the measured and known value, you can use this to correct the inaccuracy of your equipment.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

What helps correct equipment inaccuracy?

A

Difference between measured and known values

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

What reduces random errors?

A

Repetition and finding the mean

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

What indicates a systematic error?

A

Wrong measurement by the same amount every time

30
Q

What is a zero error?

A

Systematic error from miscalibrated equipment

31
Q

What indicates a zero error on a mass balance?

A

Reading not at zero

32
Q

What is an anomalous result?

A

A result that doesn’t fit with the rest

33
Q

What can be done with known systematic errors?

A

They are compensable by doing some maths

34
Q

What is processing data?

A

Processing data is when you do calculations with your data to make it more useful.

35
Q

Always calculate what when doing repeats of experiments?

A

the means

36
Q

When should you round your answer in physics?

A

To lowest significant figures

37
Q

What kind of data do bar charts display?

A

categoric data (data that comes in distinct categories), discrete data (data that can be counted in chunks, and there are no in-between values), and continuous data, which is numerical data that can have any value within a range.

38
Q

How to draw bar charts with categoric or discrete data?

A

Leave gap between bars

39
Q

Which graph is used for continuous data?

A

Scatter graph

40
Q

On which axis do you plot the dependent variable?

A

Y-axis

41
Q

On which axis do you plot the independent variable?

A

X-axis

42
Q

When is a line graph usually used?

A

Variable changes with time

43
Q

What are the three types of correlation?

A

Positive, negative, none

44
Q

How do you find the gradient of a curved graph?

A

by drawing a tangent to the curve, then find the gradient of the tangent.

45
Q

What is a conversion factor?

A

Number for unit conversion

46
Q

What to do when going from a bigger unit to a smaller unit?

A

Multiply by conversion factor

47
Q

What to do when going from a smaller unit to a larger unit?

A

Divide by conversion factor

48
Q

What do formulas show?

A

Relationships between variables

49
Q

What must scientists be careful of when drawing conclusions?

A

Only from their data

50
Q

What must a conclusion do?

A

Match the data and go no further

51
Q

What is important when writing a conclusion?

A

Refer back to original aim

52
Q

What does correlation not equal?

A

Causation

53
Q

What are the three reasons for correlation?

A

Chance, third variable, cause

54
Q

When can you conclude correlation shows cause?

A

when all other possible variables have been completely controlled.

55
Q

What is uncertainty in measurements?

A

the amount of error your measurements might have.

56
Q

What does uncertainty measure?

A

Uncertainty is a measure of how confident you are in the accuracy of your results.

57
Q

What causes uncertainty?

A

Random errors, equipment limits.

58
Q

How can you reduce uncertainty?

A

Do repeats and get better equipment

59
Q

Prefix for 10^12?

A

Tera (T)

60
Q

Prefix for 10^9?

A

Giga (G)

61
Q

Prefix for 10^6?

A

Mega (M)

62
Q

Prefix for 1000?

A

Kilo (k)

63
Q

Prefix for 0.1?

A

Deci (d)

64
Q

Prefix for 0.01?

A

Centi (c)

65
Q

Prefix for 0.001?

A

Milli (m)

66
Q

Prefix for 10^-6?

A

Micro (μ)

67
Q

Prefix for 10^-9?

A

Nano (n)

68
Q

How can uncertainty be reduced in experiments?

A

Better equipment, greater measurements

69
Q

What is an evaluation in science?

A

Critical analysis of an investigation

70
Q

What does an evaluation comment on?

A

Method and quality

71
Q

What can be suggested in evaluations?

A

Improvements

72
Q

What can be done after drawing conclusions?

A

Make more predictions

Nat 5 Physics (2 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions