Unit 1 - AOS1 - Key science skills and terminology Flashcards
Precision
Results are closely grouped together
How to increase?
- Reduce random errors
- Refine measuring process (equipment)
Which is precise which is not?
1.
- 2.1mL
- 105.0mL
- 7.3 mL
- 29.9 mL
- 2.1mL
- 2.05mL
- 2.0mL
- 1.9mL
- = Not precise results
- = Precise results
Accuracy
How close your results are to the true value (repeats do not improve accuracy)
Which is accurate and which is not?
1. True value = 2.0mL
- 2.1mL
- 2.0mL
- 1.9mL
- True Value = 2.0mL
- 7.3mL
- 105.0mL
- 29.9mL
- = Accurate results
- = Not accurate results
Types of errors?
- Systemic = if the equipment is not measuring accurately
- Personal = Cause by mistakes made by your or your research team
- Random = are unpredictable and could be due to natural variation in nature
Reliability
Degree of consistency or repeatability of a measure
Repeatable and reproducible (in terms of reliability)
- Repeatable = repeat the method and get the same results
- Reproducible = someone else repeats experiment and gets the same results
Validity
Does the experiment answer the research question?
Outliers
A data point that differs significantly from other data points
The 2 types of observation
- Qualitative
- Quantitative
Qualitative Observations
Involve how things appear to your senses.
e.g. shape, colour, hardness, roughness, sweetness etc.
Quantitative Observations
Involve counting or measuring the quantity of something
e.g. How many?, How much?
Independent variable
‘ I change on purpose ‘
- What is changed/ different
Dependant variable
‘ I am data’
- what is being measured
Control variable
‘Control=stays the same ‘
