Unit 0: Scientific Practices

Independent Variables

Manipulated, should be the only difference between every group, on the x-axis unless using time

Dependent Variable

What changes based on the IV, what is observed, y-axis, be clear on what is being measured and how

Constants/Controlled Variables

stay the same

Reliability

does it have enough data? Multiple tests or large sample sizes

Verification

repeat your experiment multiple times

Null Hypothesis

a hypothesis stating no relation between the IV and DV

Alternative Hypothesis

a hypothesis stating a statistically significant relationship between the IV and DV

Experimental Group

What changes in an experiment

Negative Control Group

not given the experimental change

Positive Control Group

given experimental treatment that is known to produce an expected effect (compares the known to the unknown)

Standard Deviation

measures how spread out the data is from the mean, helps us figure out if data points are standard (expected) or significant (unexpected)

Standard Error of the Mean

Indicates how well the mean of a sample estimates the true mean of a population, a measure of accuracy