Interpreting Scientific Data Flashcards

A scientist tracks the number of daylight hours and average monthly temperature in Louisiana throughout the year. Both peak in June and drop in December. What type of relationship does this represent?

Answer: Positive correlation

When two variables both peak and drop at the same times, they show a positive correlation.

A table shows the results of a drug trial: 80% of the treatment group improved, while 30% of the control group also improved. What does the control group data tell the scientist?

Answer: Some improvement occurs even without the drug, which must be accounted for

The control group improvement (30%) represents baseline or placebo improvement, which must be considered when evaluating the drug's true effect.

A histogram shows the distribution of test scores for a class. The tallest bar is in the 80–90 range. What does this indicate?

Answer: Most students scored between 80 and 90

The tallest bar in a histogram represents the interval with the greatest frequency — the most students scored in the 80–90 range.

Data collected over 10 years shows that the average wingspan of monarch butterflies in a study population has decreased by 4 mm. What type of evidence is this?

Answer: Quantitative data showing a measurable trend over time

Measured numerical changes tracked over multiple years constitute quantitative data showing a trend.

A student notices that a graph's y-axis starts at 500 instead of 0. How might this affect interpretation of the data?

Answer: It makes differences between bars appear larger than they actually are

When the y-axis does not start at zero, small differences between values can look much larger, potentially misleading the reader.

Scientists studying soil moisture record readings every day for 30 days. They then calculate the mean, median, and range. What does the range tell them?

Answer: The difference between the highest and lowest readings

Range is calculated by subtracting the lowest value from the highest value, showing how spread out the data is.

A table shows that a species of frog was found at 8 of 10 wetland sites surveyed five years ago, but is now found at only 3 of 10 sites. What does this data suggest?

Answer: The frog species has likely declined in the surveyed area

A drop from 8 out of 10 sites to 3 out of 10 sites indicates that the frog population has likely declined in this region.