Interpreting Scientific Data Flashcards
7 cards from real ICAS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Interpreting Scientific Data flashcards as text
A data table records the speed of a car at 5-second intervals: 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 km/h. What does this data set show about the car's motion?
Answer: The car is accelerating uniformly
Equal increases in speed over equal time intervals indicate uniform acceleration.
A graph shows two overlapping bell curves. Curve A is centered at 50 and Curve B is centered at 65. What does the difference in centers indicate?
Answer: Group B has a higher average value than Group A
The center of a bell curve represents the mean, so Group B's mean (65) is higher than Group A's mean (50).
A scientist measures how long it takes for different volumes of water to boil. She tests 100 mL, 200 mL, and 300 mL. What is the controlled variable in this experiment?
Answer: Temperature of the heat source
The temperature of the heat source must remain constant (controlled) to ensure a fair test.
A results table shows that Plant A grew 8 cm in two weeks with sunlight, while Plant B grew 2 cm with no sunlight. What conclusion is most directly supported?
Answer: Sunlight promotes faster plant growth
The only difference between the plants was sunlight exposure, so the difference in growth is attributed to sunlight.
A meteorologist plots daily high temperatures for July on a line graph. The graph shows a generally upward trend with a few dips. What does the overall trend suggest?
Answer: Daily temperatures increased on average throughout July
An overall upward trend with minor dips indicates that average temperatures increased over the month.
A student collects data on the number of hours studied vs. test scores for 20 classmates and creates a scatter plot. Most points cluster along a rising line but a few are far off the line. These outlying points are called:
Answer: Outliers
Data points that fall far from the main trend line in a scatter plot are called outliers.
An environmental study measures the concentration of a pollutant in a river at four distances from a factory: 0.5 km=85 ppm, 1 km=60 ppm, 2 km=35 ppm, 4 km=12 ppm. What pattern does the data show?
Answer: Pollutant concentration decreases with distance from the factory
The data shows pollutant levels declining as distance from the factory increases, indicating the factory is the source.