International GCSE Science

Definitions of terms in practical questions

Although students will not be ask to recall or quote these definitions in
any examination, question papers will expect students to recognise
these terms and answer questions involving their use.
Accuracy: An accurate measurement is one which is close to the true value. The
accuracy of a measurement depends on factors such as the quality of the measuring
device and the skill of the person taking the measurement. For example, if a measuring
device such as a weighing balance has a zero error (in other words, it does not read zero
when no mass is placed on it) then all readings will be inaccurate, unless allowance is
made when the measurements are taken. Some quantities such as g, the acceleration
due to gravity, have an accepted value. An accepted value comes from the work of
many scientists who have measured the value, agreed with it and published the value.
These values can be checked via text books, data tables or through the internet
(remembering that some internet sources especially those with open editing or owned
by interest groups - may not always prove to be reliable).
Anomalous data: Anomalous readings are those which fall outside the normal, or
expected, range of measurements. If we take a large number of readings, we can be
more certain about saying which readings are anomalous (i.e. do not fit the pattern
established by the others) and which are not. Anomalous readings are easy to see on a
graph as a point, or points, which do not lie on or near the best-fit line. Anomalous
readings should be removed from any data which is being used to calculate a mean
(average) value.
Average: The arithmetical mean of a set of data is usually referred to as the average.
This mean value gives you an estimate of the true value, assuming that no reading is
anomalous. For example, if you measure the length of a piece of wire four times and
obtain values of 6.2 cm, 6.1 cm, 6.3 cm and 6.2 cm, the average (mean) value for the
length is 6.2 cm. It is only an estimate because your measuring instruments may be
giving you false readings in some way, or other variables may have affected what you
were trying to measure.
Concordant readings: If readings have been taken several times and the readings are
identical, or close to each other, then they are described as concordant. In the example
above, the four readings for the length of the wire are concordant. However, if the
readings were 6.2 cm, 7.1 cm, 6.3 cm and 6.1 cm then the readings would not be
concordant. The reading of 7.1 cm is likely to be anomalous and should be checked
again. Any average taken from the readings should only include the concordant readings
and not anomalous ones. Usually, readings which are concordant are likely to be reliable.
Concordant readings are frequently encountered in titrations in chemistry, where titre
values are said to be concordant if they are within 0.20 cm3 of each other.
Control variable: A control variable is one that will affect the outcome of the
investigation. Control variables must be kept constant otherwise the investigation will not
be valid (a fair test) e.g. if you were investigating the effect of light on the rate of
photosynthesis of a plant, you must keep the temperature around the plant constant as
any change in temperature would also affect the results. If you did not keep the
temperature constant, the experiment would not be valid (a fair test).
Correlation: Correlation is the relationship between the two variables in a given
experiment. This is often obtained from a graph. If the gradient (slope) of a graph is
positive (i.e. the graph slopes upwards) we can say there is a positive correlation. If the
gradient is negative, we can say there is a negative correlation between the variables. If
a straight line goes through the origin of a graph and the gradient is positive, we can say

that the variables are directly proportional to each other. Even if two factors correlate
very well together, remember that it is not certain that the change in one variable causes
the change in the other.
Data: This is a term normally used for the set of numerical values recorded in an
experiment. We usually record data in tables to make comparisons easy.
Dependent variable: The dependent variable is the quantity that changes as a result of
changes made to another variable (the independent one) e.g. if we chose to vary the
height of a ramp and measure the acceleration of a trolley as it runs down the ramp, the
height of the ramp is the independent variable and the acceleration of the trolley is the
dependent variable.
Fair test: A fair test is a series of experiments or measurements in which only the values
of one variable are changed. A fair test can usually be achieved by keeping all other
variables constant, or controlled. Experiments that meet these criteria are said to be
valid.
Independent variable: The independent variable is the one which we vary an
experiment in order to see the effect on the dependent variable e.g. we might vary the
height of a ramp (independent variable) and then measure the acceleration of a trolley
which rolls down it (dependent variable).
Precision: Precision is usually determined by the apparatus being used, although it can
be influenced by technique. Most scientific instruments have scales if the sub-divisions
on these scales are smaller, then it is usually possible to take more precise readings. For
example, it will be more precise, when measuring a small temperature rise, to use a
thermometer measuring to the nearest 0.1C than one measuring only to the nearest 1.0
C. Note, however, that this is not always the case. Most digital stopwatches will measure
to the nearest 0.01 s. This degree of precision is unwarranted our own reaction times
prevent readings taken to this level of precision from being valid. Precision can be
improved in an experiment by using more sensitive, or better graduated, measuring
devices; and by eliminating experimental error from factors such as parallax.
Reliability: The results of an investigation may be considered reliable if readings are
repeated, and concordant data is obtained. The more concordant your results are, the
more reliable they are likely to be. If the data collected is very unreliable, it is likely that
there is something wrong with the experiment! However, a simple way to improve the
reliability of data is to repeat the experiment and collect data to average. However,
remember that anomalous data will need to be removed in order to improve the
reliability of the data.
Validity: Data collected may be considered valid if you can say yes to the question,
Am I really measuring what I am trying to measure? Validity refers to the technique
and apparatus used for collecting the data. In a valid experiment all variables are kept
constant apart from those being investigated. Normally only one variable is investigated
at a time. Validity can be improved by reducing any uncertainties (or errors). Note that
validity is not really about human errors caused when taking readings, it is about failing
to control variables that may affect the outcome of an experiment.