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Vocab
Statistical
26
Biology
Not Applicable
02/12/2004

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Term
Average (mean)
Definition
the most central or typical value in a set of quantitative data
mean = the sum of all the measurements divided by the total number of measurements
Term
Bar Graph
Definition
a pictorial display of a set of data using bars to indicate the value, amount and size of the dependent variable for each level of the independent variable tested (discrete data)
Term
Continuous data
Definition
measurement of count of data for which all possible values exist whether tested or not. Ex. Time, volume. When both the independent and dependent variables result in continuous data, the data can be graphed as either a line graph or a bar graph.
Term
Descriptive statistics (summary statistics)
Definition
statistics that describe for a set of data the most typical values and a variation within a set.
Term
discrete (discontinuous) data
Definition
data that exists in categories that are seperate and do not overlap. Ex. Brands of products and kinds of paper. When displayed by a scale on a graph, the points between the defined categories do not have any meaning. Discrete data can be graphed as a bar graph but not as a line.
Term
Horizontal (x) axis
Definition
the line along the bottom of a graph on which the scale for the INDEPENDENT VARIABLE is placed
Term
inferential statistics
Definition
the methods or mathematical procedures by which to determine if the variations between sets of data are statistically significant or not. The statistics that indicate the likelihood that the variation occurred by chance or as a result of the independent variable.
Term
level of significance
Definition
the level of probability set by the experimenter for rejecting the hypothesis. It is the level of probability that the experiment's results were due to the independent variable and not chance.
Term
line graph
Definition
a pictorial display of data that can be drawn when the data for both variables are continuous data. The line in a line graph shows the relationship between the independent and dependent variables.
Term
line of best fit
Definition
a smooth line drawn so that the totals of the distances between the line and the points above it are equal (roughly half the data points are above and half are below the line). The line which can be either a straight line or a smooth curved line, shows the relationship between the independent and dependent variable
Term
median
Definition
the central value in a set of data ranked from highest to lowest. Half the data are above it and half are below.
Term
mode
Definition
the most typical or central value of a set of qualatative data. It is the value that occurs the most often in a set
Term
nominal data
Definition
data for a series of discrete categories for which there is not a basis for rank ordering. Ex. gender; hair color
Term
Normal curve (distribution)
Definition
a theoretical frequency distribution whose graph takes the form of a bell
Term
null hypothesis
Definition
a hypothesis based on the assumption that 2 samples are from the same population and therefore have identical means or means which differ no more than would be expected from chance
Term
ordinal data
Definition
data collected for categories that can be ranked order
Term
probability of error
Definition
equal to the level of significance when the calculated value of a statistic and the table values are equal.
Term
qualatative data
Definition
verbal descriptions or information gathered using scales without equal intervals or zero points. Such scales are non-standard scales.
Term
quantitative data
Definition
information (data) gathered from counts or measurements using scales having equal sized intervals and a zero value. Such scales are standard scales.
Term
range
Definition
a measurement of how a set of measurements or count data is spread out. It is calculated by subtracting the minimum value from the maximum value.
Term
sample
Definition
the specific set: of individuals, selected from a population, to be the subjects in an experiment
Term
standard deviation
Definition
the measure of how closely the individual data points cluster around the mean
Term
statistical significance
Definition
the criterion for the decision that the results of an experiment did not happen by chance, but were the result of the independent variable
Term
t-test
Definition
and inferential statistical test that is used to determine whether differences exist between the means or 2 samples.
Term
variation
Definition
statistics that describe how spread out the values in a set of data are.
Term
vertical (y) axis
Definition
the line drawn on the left of a graph on which the scale for the DEPENDENT VARIABLE is placed
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