Ch.1 practing test
percent error
A calculation used to determine how accurate, or close to the true value, an experimental value really is.
Weight
A measure of the force of gravity on an object
International System of Units
A system of measurement based on multiples of ten and on established measures of mass, length, and time.
Science
A way of learning about the natural world through observations and logical reasoning; leads to a body of knowledge.
significant figures
All the digits that can be known precisely in a measurement, plus a last estimated digit
estimate
An approximation of a number based on reasonable assumptions
quantitative observation
An observation that deals with a number or amount
qualitative observation
An observation that deals with characteristics that cannot be expressed in numbers.
Evaluating
Comparing observations and data to reach a conclusion about them
anomalous data
Data that do not fit with the rest of a data set.
Volume
The amount of space an object takes up
metric system
The decimal measuring system based on the meter, liter, and gram as units of length, capacity, and weight or mass.
Density
The measurement of how much mass of a substance is contained in a given volume
independent variable
The on
scientific inquiry
The ongoing process of discovery in science; the diverse ways in which scientists study the natural world and propose explanations based on evidence they gather.
Classifying
The process of grouping together items that are alike in some way.
infering
The process of making an inference, an interpretation based on observations and prior knowledge.
Non-linear graph
a line graph in which the data points do not fall along a straight line
linear graph
a line graph in which the data points yield a straight line
Precision
a measure of how close a series of measurements are to one another
graph
a picture of information from a data table; shows the relationship between variables
mean
average
making models
creating representations of complex objects or processes
Variables
factors that can change in an experiment
Accuracy
how close a measurement is to the true value
Predicting
making a statement or a claim about what will happen in the future based on past experience or evidence
Hypothesis
possible explanation for a set of observations or possible answer to a scientific question
Mass
the amount of matter in an object
range
the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution
Median
the middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it
Mode
the most frequently occurring score(s) in a distribution
scientific investigation
the process by which a scientist asks a question about the natural world, collects and analyzes data to help answer that question, and communicates the results to the scientific community
Observing
using one or more of your senses to gather information