StudyBrixFree worksheets, study guides and courses

Science · Grades 6–10

Designing tests and judging conclusions

Ask what was measured, how often, and which alternative explanations remain.

Make a worksheet

Understand the idea

Evidence is not a guarantee

Ask what was measured, how often, and which alternative explanations remain.

Separate terms

Accuracy concerns closeness to a reference; precision concerns agreement among repeated measurements.

Examples and reasoning

In a controlled test, the deliberately changed factor is the

independent variable

independent variable

The recorded response to the changed factor is the

dependent variable

dependent variable

Check your understanding

  1. Three measurements are very close together but far from a reference value. They are

    1. precise but not accurate relative to the reference
    2. automatically correct
    3. accurate but not precise
    4. impossible

  2. Why repeat a measurement?

    1. to assess variation and reduce reliance on one reading
    2. to guarantee no bias
    3. to avoid recording units
    4. to change the desired result

  3. An unusual value appears. What is the most defensible first response?

    1. Change it to the average.
    2. Check the record and procedure before deciding how to treat it.
    3. Ignore the entire experiment.
    4. Delete it automatically.

  4. Why should a graph axis show units?

Answers and marking notes

Answers and marking notes
  1. precise but not accurate relative to the reference

    precise but not accurate relative to the reference

  2. to assess variation and reduce reliance on one reading

    to assess variation and reduce reliance on one reading

  3. Check the record and procedure before deciding how to treat it.

    Check the record and procedure before deciding how to treat it.

  4. Units explain what the numbers represent and allow comparisons and calculations to be interpreted correctly.

    Units explain what the numbers represent and allow comparisons and calculations to be interpreted correctly.

Learning preview · teacher review required. Grade bands are approximate, not official curriculum alignment.