Ch. 2 Key Terms Flashcards
observation
a piece of information we gather using our senses-our sight, hearing, smell and touch
hypothesis
a testable idea or explanation that leads to a scientific investigation
prediction
a logical statement about what will happen if the hypothesis is supported
experiment
a procedure designed to test a hypothesis under controlled conditions
variable
the factor of interest in an experiment
experimental group
the group that receives the experimental treatment
control group
the group that does not receive the experimental treatment
data
the information that a scientist gathers during an experiment, which is often in numeric form
correlation
associations between two or more events
statistics
the collection and classification of data that are in the form of numbers. People commonly use the term statistics to describe numbers
probability
the chance that something will happen
sample
a group of individuals or events selected to represent the population. If you toss a penny 10 times, your sample size is 10.
risk
the probability of an unwanted outcome.
model
representations of objects or systems. Although people usually think of models as things they can touch, scientists use several different types of models to help them learn about our environment
conceptual model
a verbal or graphical explanation of how a system works or is organized. A flow-chart diagram is an example of a type of conceptual model.
