Download High Quality Data and Careful Analysis

High Quality Data and Careful Analysis
When scientists make measurements during an experiment or scientific investigation they are
collecting data. The data then must be analyzed which means to make sense of that data to
determine if it contains any useful information. Analysis always involves using mathematic
principles to reach a conclusion to the experiment. The validity of experiments and investigations
rests on the quality of data and its careful analysis. As students doing a lab or activity the end
results also rest on quality data and careful analysis. Here are some tips when doing a lab or
activity.
1. Make sure you are following directions as written when doing an activity or experiment! Read
carefully, stay focused and don’t skip steps!
2. Write down all data you collect as you are doing the activity or experiment!
3. Write down the equations you are using to analyze your data as well as the answer!
4. Bring a simple calculator to do the math. Simple math errors are unacceptable!
Probability is a factor in all experiments! In other words there is an element of chance or
stochasticity when doing science and must be considered when determining the outcome of an
experiment. If you flip a coin twice in a row what is the probability that you will get heads twice?
Note: answers should almost always be written as decimal fractions!
5. Write down the equation for getting heads twice in a row and the answer (hint: The probability
of getting heads on any one flip is 0.5 since you have half a chance on any flip.
Now try these. Write down the equation and your answer.
6. What is the probability of getting heads seven times in a row?
7. What is the probability of rolling a die and getting a six? ___________________
8. What is the probability of rolling a die twice and getting two sixes in a row?
9. There are 52 cards in a deck. What is the probability of getting a ten of diamonds from a deck
of cards all face down on a table?
10. What is the probability of getting a ten of diamonds and then a two of hearts?
Remember that science deals with probabilities when it makes predictions or forecasts. No
scientific prediction or forecast is ever certain (0% or 100%), but we can be confident of our
predictions and forecasts if our data is high quality our analysis is careful and we know the
probabilities of the outcome of events. Event means something occurring. Outcomes are the
result of an event occurring. Statistics is the mathematics of probabilities and the Universe
contains elements of stochasticity (randomness or chance)!
11. What is the name we give to something occurring? ___________________________
12. What is the name we give to the result of something occurring? _________________
13. What is the name of the mathematics that deals with probabilities? ______________