Unit 1 Vocabulary - Experimental Design

Question 1

What does “testable questions” mean

Answer 1

Testable questions are ones which can be answered through experimental inquiry and observation of the natural world.

Question 2

What does “Non-Testable questions” mean

Answer 2

Questions that cannot be answered by direct observation or by evidence gathered through experimental inquiries (i.e., “why…” questions), are not testable questions.

Question 3

What does “Quantitative” mean

Answer 3

Measure or describe something in amount/numbers

Question 4

What does “qualitative” mean

Answer 4

Measure or describe something by its qualities.

Question 5

What does “trials” mean

Answer 5

A test of the performance and/or qualities of something

Question 6

What does “observation” mean

Answer 6

the action or process of observing something or someone carefully or in order to gain information; a remark, statement, or comment based on something one has seen, heard, or noticed.

Question 7

What does “empirical evidence” mean

Answer 7

information gathered directly or indirectly through observation or experimentation that may be used to confirm or disconfirm a scientific theory or to help justify, or establish as reasonable, a person’s belief in a given proposition.

Question 8

What does “data”mean

Answer 8

facts and statistics collected together for reference or analysis.

Question 9

What does “models in science” or “scientific models” mean

Answer 9

a physical and/or mathematical and/or conceptual representation of a system of ideas, events or processes.

Question 10

What does “analogy” mean

Answer 10

a comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification.

Question 11

What does “prototype”mean

Answer 11

a first, typical or preliminary model of something, especially a machine, from which other forms are developed or copied

Question 12

What does “hypothesis” mean

Answer 12

a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.

Question 13

What does “variable” mean

Answer 13

not consistent or having a fixed pattern; liable to change.

Question 14

what does “procedure” mean

Answer 14

an established or official way of doing something.

Question 15

what does “accuracy” mean

Answer 15

the quality or state of being correct or precise.

Question 16

what does “scientific method” mean

Answer 16

a method of procedure that has characterized natural science since the 17th century, consisting in systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses.

Question 17

What does “control”mean

Answer 17

a group or individual used as a standard of comparison for checking the results of a survey or experiment.

Question 18

What does “constant” mean

Answer 18

a situation or state of affairs that does not change.

Question 19

What does “predict” me

Answer 19

say or estimate that (a specified thing) will happen in the future or will be a consequence of something.

Question 20

What does “infer” mean

Answer 20

deduce or conclude (information) from evidence and reasoning rather than from explicit statements.

Question 21

What does “independent variable” mean

Answer 21

a variable (often denoted by x ) whose variation does not depend on that of another.

Question 22

What does “dependent variable” mean

Answer 22

a variable (often denoted by y ) whose value depends on that of another.

Question 23

What does “manipulated variable” mean

Answer 23

A manipulated variable is one type of variable found in experiments. You can change manipulated variables to learn how other variables in the experiment respond.

Question 24

What does “responding variable” mean

Answer 24

the part of an experiment that a scientists measures and observes closely for a change or a response.

Question 25

What does “sample size” mean

Answer 25

the number of observations or individuals included in a study or experiment.

Question 26

What does “validity” mean

Answer 26

the quality of being logically or factually sound; soundness or cogency.

Question 27

What does “trends in data” mean

Answer 27

a pattern found in time series datasets

Question 28

What does “correlation” mean

Answer 28

a mutual relationship or connection between two or more things.

Question 29

What does “precision” mean

Answer 29

the quality, condition, or fact of being exact and accurate

Question 29

What does “variability” mean

Answer 29

lack of consistency or fixed pattern; liability to vary or change.

Question 30

What does “volume” mean

Answer 30

the amount of space that a substance or object occupies, or that is enclosed within a container, especially when great.

Question 31

What does “mass” mean

Answer 31

the quantity of matter which a body contains, as measured by its acceleration under a given force or by the force exerted on it by a gravitational field.

Question 32

What does “weight” mean

Answer 32

a body’s relative mass or the quantity of matter contained by it, giving rise to a downward force; the heaviness of a person or thing.

Question 33

What does “percent” mean

Answer 33

by a specified amount in or for every hundred

Question 34

What does “rate” mean

Answer 34

a measure, quantity, or frequency, typically one measured against some other quantity or measure

Question 35

What does “ratio” mean

Answer 35

the quantitative relation between two amounts showing the number of times one value contains or is contained within the other.

Question 36

What does “line graph” mean

Answer 36

a graphical representation of information that changes over a period of time

Question 37

What does “bar graph” mean

Answer 37

a diagram in which the numerical values of variables are represented by the height or length of lines or rectangles of equal width.

Question 38

What does “pie graph” mean

Answer 38

a type of graph representing data in a circular form

Question 39

What does “scatterplot” mean

Answer 39

a graph in which the values of two variables are plotted along two axes, the pattern of the resulting points revealing any correlation present.

Question 40

What does “evidence” mean

Answer 40

the available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid.

Question 40

What does “theory” mean

Answer 40

a supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained.

Question 41

What does “reason” mean

Answer 41

a cause, explanation, or justification for an action or event.

Question 41

What does “claim” mean

Answer 41

state or assert that something is the case; an assertion of the truth of something

Question 42

What does “bias” mean

Answer 42

a systematic distortion of a statistical result due to a factor not allowed for in its derivation; prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.