Unit 1

Question 1

What is inquiry?

Answer 1

search for information and explanation

Question 2

What are the two steps of inquiry?

Answer 2

1) making observations
2) forming hypothesis

Question 3

What is data?

Answer 3

recorded observations

Question 4

What does qualitative observations mean?

Answer 4

observations with senses

Question 5

What does quantitative observations mean?

Answer 5

observations measured using instruments

Question 6

What is inductive reasoning?

Answer 6

derive generalizations based on a large number of specific observations

Question 7

What is a hypothesis?

Answer 7

predictions that can be tested by recording more observations or experiments
- an explanation to a question
- tested by an experiment or continued observation
- can be disproven, but cannot be proven true

Question 8

What is deductive reasoning?

Answer 8

specific results are derived from general premisis

Question 9

What is a null hypothesis?

Answer 9

a hypothesis which the researcher tries to disprove, reject, or nullify
(a hypothesis that there will be no difference between two groups of data, and the experimental observations are due to chance)

Question 10

What is a theory?

Answer 10

• summarizes a group of hypothesis
• broader in scope
• new hypothesis can be generated from it
• supported by massive body of evidence
• never becomes a law

Question 11

What is a scientific law?

Answer 11

• statement of fact usually a mathematical formula
• describes an observation (not “how” or “why”)
• generally accepted to be true + universal
• basis for scientific method

Question 12

What does an experiment start with?

Answer 12

an observation and hypothesis

Question 13

What are the two groups used in an experiment?

Answer 13

control groups and experimental groups

Question 14

What is a variable?

Answer 14

something that is changed in the experiment

Question 15

What is a constant?

Answer 15

something that does not change throughout the experiment

Question 16

What is an independent variable?

Answer 16

the one factor that is changed by the person doing the experiment; represents a quantity that is being manipulated in the experiment

Question 17

What is a dependent variable?

Answer 17

the factor which is measured in an experiment; represents a quantity whose value depends on how the independent variable is manipulated

Question 18

What do control groups help eliminate?

Answer 18

experimental error and biases of researchers

Question 19

Why is statistical analysis necessary?

Answer 19

to help determine whether or not data is significant and reliability of the experiment increases

Question 20

T or F : controls are constants

Answer 20

false

Question 21

What are the two types of controls?

Answer 21

positive and negative

Question 22

What are positive controls?

Answer 22

groups that are not exposed to experimental treatment or independent variable, but is exposed to a treatment known to produce the expected effect

Question 23

What do positive controls ensure?

Answer 23

that there is an effect when there should be an effect

Question 24

What are negative controls?

Answer 24

groups that are not exposed to any treatment or exposed to a treatment that is known to have no effect ; group where nothing is expected to happen

Question 25

What do negative controls ensure?

Answer 25

that there is no effect when there should be no effect ; that no cofounding/outside variable has affected the results, or to factor in any likely sources of bias

Question 26

T or F : experiments do not need to contain both a positive and negative control

Answer 26

true

Question 27

When do scientists use positive controls?

Answer 27

when they are trying to induce a positive result

Question 28

How do descriptive statistic help researchers?

Answer 28

helps to describe and quantify differences between data sets

Question 29

What is the mean?

Answer 29

the average of the data set

Question 30

How do you find the mean of a data set?

Answer 30

sum all the data points in the data set and then divide this number by the total number of data points

Question 31

What is the median?

Answer 31

the middle number in a range of data points

Question 32

How do you find the median of a data set?

Answer 32

arrange the data points in numerical order then find the middle number , and if there is an even number of data points, average the two middle numbers

Question 33

What is variability?

Answer 33

the measure of how far a data set diverges from the central tendency ( how spread out the data points are)

Question 34

What is range?

Answer 34

the difference between the largest and smallest values

Question 35

What does a larger range indicate?

Answer 35

a greater spread of data and greater variability

Question 36

What does a smaller range indicate?

Answer 36

a smaller spread of data and less variability

Question 37

What is standard deviation?

Answer 37

a measure of how spread out the data is from the mean

Question 38

What does low standard deviation indicate?

Answer 38

the data is closer to the mean (the independent variable is likely causing changes)

Question 39

What does high standard deviation indicate?

Answer 39

the data is farther from the mean (spread out) ; factors other than the independent variable are likely causing changes

Question 40

What are the four steps to solve for standard deviation?

Answer 40

1) find the mean
2) determine the deviation from the mean for each data point and square it
3) calculate the degrees of freedom (n-1), n is the number of data values
4) put it all together to calculate for S

Question 41

What is standard error the mean used for?

Answer 41

to determine the precision of and confidence in the mean value

Question 42

What is standard error of the mean based on?

Answer 42

• standard deviation (variability)
• the number of data point

Question 43

What does a low standard error indicate?

Answer 43

higher confidence in the mean value

Question 44

What does it mean if error bars overlap?

Answer 44

the difference is not significant

Question 45

What does it mean if error bars do not overlap?

Answer 45

the difference may be significant