AQA 9-1 Working Scientifically (KEY TERMS)

Close to the true value

The gap between readings

The minimum and maximum values of a variable

Measurements with little spread (close together)

The process of marking a scale on a measuring instrument

Information that has been collected

Values in a result set that stand out from the others.

Possible when ONLY the independent variable is changed (and all others are controlled)

A type of error that cannot be avoided. Measurements will be both above the true value and below.Can be reduced by repeating measurements and calculating the mean.

The type of error that makes readings differ from the true value by a consistent amount each time

The reading on an instrument when the reading should be zero

The smallest change in the quantity being measured by an instrument that gives a change in the reading

The interval within which the true value can be expected to lie eg 51 mm +/ 0.5 mm

Quantities that could affect the outcome of the investigation, so have to kept constant

The value that is measured each time the independent variable is changed

The values that are changed or selected by the investigator

Values that are labels

Values that have numbers