Physical Science Vocabulary 1

Unit

in terms of which other quantities may be expressed. Sometimes it may mean 1.

Quantitative

measured by the quantity of something rather than its quality.

SI system

the modern form of the metric system, and is the most widely used system of measurement. KHDUDCM

Conversion factor

An arithmetical multiplier that converts one set of units into an equivalent other.

Precision

Describes how close together repeated measurements are.

Accuracy

How close a measurement is to an accepted or true value

Density

How compact something is

Weight

How heavy something is. How much gravity is pushing down on it.

Significant digits

Meaningful digits in a measured quantity

Qualitative

Measured the quality of something rather than its quantity.

Resolution

The smallest interval that can be measured.

Inverse relationship

Two variables that move in opposite directions, ex. variable a increases, so variable b decreases

Scatter plot

a graph in which the values of two variables are plotted, the pattern of the points reveals a correlation pattern. Usually a line will best fit one.