AP Notes, Outlines, Study Guides, Vocabulary, Practice Exams and more!

Quantitative Skills for AP Biology Flashcards

Terms : Hide Images
6895204463hypothesisA plausible and testable explanation for observed phenomena.0
6895204464independent variableThe experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied.1
6895204465dependent variableThe variable that responds to manipulations of the independent variable. The data.2
6895204466confounding variableAny extraneous variable that affects the variables being studied so that the results do not reflect an actual relationship between the variables under investigation.3
6895204467quantitative dataData based on quantities (numerical data).4
6895204468qualitative dataData based on qualities (non-numerical data).5
6895204469continuous dataData that can be any value on a range.6
6895204470discrete dataData that is capable of assuming only particular values. Usually the result of counting or grouping.7
6895204471control groupThe empirical group that does not receive the independent variable. Serves as a basis for comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment.8
6895204472experimental groupThe empirical group that is exposed to the independent variable.9
6895204473correlational studyA research method that can determine the degree to which two variables are related, but cannot show which variable caused a change in the other variable.10
6895204474pseudoscienceA body of ideas clothed in the jargon and outward appearance of science but was not created with the standards required of the scientific method.11
6895204475extrapolationEstimating a value outside the range of measured data.12
6895204476statisticsThe study of the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation and presentation of data.13
6895204477population (N)A complete set of items (people, animals, etc.) that have at least one thing in common and are the subject of the statistical analysis.14
6895204478sample (n)A subset of individuals selected from the population.15
6895204479descriptive statisticsStatistics that quantitatively describe the main features of a data set, especially measures of central tendency and dispersion.16
6895204480inferential statisticsStatistics that draw conclusions from sample data. Used to test hypotheses and make estimations about the population.17
6895204481sampling biasA problem that occurs when a sample is not representative of the population from which it is drawn.18
6895204482normal distributionA unimodal, symmetrical, bell-shaped distribution of data.19
6895204483parametric dataData that show an approximate normal distribution on a histogram.20
6895204484nonparametric dataData that do not show an approximate normal distribution on a histogram. Can be qualitative data.21
6895204485frequency or count dataRecordings of discrete, or qualitative, data. Generated by counting.22
6895204486comparative statisticsStatistics that compare variables.23
6895204487association statisticsStatistics that look for correlations between variables.24
6895204488standard deviationA measurement measures the amount of variation or dispersion from the mean.25
6895204489standard errorA statistic used to make an inference about how well the sample mean matches up to the true population mean.26
6895204490linear regressionDefines a line of best fit for correlational data that can be used as a prediction of the relationship between two variables.27
6895204491histogramA graphical representation of tabulated frequencies.28
6895204492scatterplotA graph of plotted points that show the relationship between two sets of data.29
6895204493bar graphA graph drawn using rectangular bars to show how large each value is.30
6895204494box-and-whisker plotsA way of graphically depicting groups of numerical data through their quartiles.31
6895204495binsRanges of numerical values into which data are sorted in statistical analysis.32
6895204496meanA measure of central tendency determined by adding all scores together and dividing by the number of scores. Often referred to as the statistical average.33
6895204497samplingThe selection of a subset of individuals from within a statistical population to estimate characteristics of the whole population.34
689520449868-95-99.7 RuleIn a normal distribution, about 68% of values fall within 1 standard deviation of the mean, about 95% fall within 2 standard deviations of the mean, and about 99.7% fall within 3 standard deviations of the mean.35
6895204499error barsA graphical representation of the variability of data and are used on graphs to indicate the error, or uncertainty in a reported measurement.36
6895204500medianA measure of central tendency, represented by the score that separates the upper half of the scores in a distribution from the lower half.37
6895204501modeMeasure of central tendency that refers to the most frequently occurring scores.38
6895204502Chi-square testA statistical hypothesis test that measures the difference between observed frequencies and expected frequencies.39
6895204503null hypothesisHypothesis that predicts NO relationship between variables.40
6895204504alternative hypothesisHypothesis that predicts a relationship DOES EXIST between variables.41
6895204505degrees freedomThe number of ways by which a dynamic system can move without violating any constraint imposed on it. (n-1)42
6895204506critical valueA cutoff value corresponding to a given significance level.43
6895204507p-valueA predetermined choice of test certainty. The smaller the p-value, the more confidence can be claimed.44
6895204508mathematical modellingA description of a system using mathematical concepts and language.45
6895204509r-valueThe correlation coefficient that ranges from -1.0 to +1.0. The closer it is to 0, the less two variables are related.46
6895204510hypothesis testingA method of statistical inference that determines if a result is statistically significant or if it is likely to have occurred by chance alone.47
6895204511Occam's razorA principle that states that among competing hypotheses, the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected.48
6895204512type I errorFalse positive. Mistakenly reject the null hypothesis.49
6895204513type II errorFalse negative. Mistakenly reject the null hypothesis.50

Need Help?

We hope your visit has been a productive one. If you're having any problems, or would like to give some feedback, we'd love to hear from you.

For general help, questions, and suggestions, try our dedicated support forums.

If you need to contact the Course-Notes.Org web experience team, please use our contact form.

Need Notes?

While we strive to provide the most comprehensive notes for as many high school textbooks as possible, there are certainly going to be some that we miss. Drop us a note and let us know which textbooks you need. Be sure to include which edition of the textbook you are using! If we see enough demand, we'll do whatever we can to get those notes up on the site for you!