Conducting Experiments (Leaving Cert Biology): Flashcards
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Practise the cards
15 cards from this deck
What are variables in an experiment?
What are variables in an experiment?
Factors that can change or be changed during an investigation
What is the independent variable?
What is the independent variable?
The factor you deliberately change or control in an experiment
What is the dependent variable?
What is the dependent variable?
What you measure to see the effect of changes
What are controlled variables?
What are controlled variables?
Factors kept exactly the same across all parts of an experiment
Critical rule for changing variables
Critical rule for changing variables
Only change ONE variable at a time
What is reliability?
What is reliability?
How consistent results are when the same experiment is repeated
What is accuracy?
What is accuracy?
How close measured values are to the true or actual value
What is precision?
What is precision?
How close repeated measurements are to each other
What are random errors?
What are random errors?
Unpredictable mistakes that occur by chance
What are systematic errors?
What are systematic errors?
Consistent mistakes affecting all measurements the same way
How do you reduce random errors?
How do you reduce random errors?
Take multiple measurements and calculate an average
What is a control experiment/group?
What is a control experiment/group?
Standard comparison identical except doesn't receive the treatment
What is double blind testing?
What is double blind testing?
Neither participants nor researchers know who gets real treatment
Purpose of random selection
Purpose of random selection
Prevents bias by giving all subjects equal chance of being chosen
Why use large sample sizes?
Why use large sample sizes?
Larger samples give more trustworthy conclusions than smaller ones