Topic IV. Systematic and Statistical Uncertainty
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Context for this filter:
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LEARNING GOALS
- B. CONCEPT ACQUISITION
- Systematic Uncertainty/Error: Differences between reality and our measurement that skew our results in one direction.
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EXAMPLES
- Exemplary Quotes
- "It won't do us any good to average lots and lots of test subjects' heights together if our tape measure got shrunk in the wash!"
- Cautionary Quotes: Mistakes, Misconceptions, & Misunderstandings
- Failing to Notice Possibility of Systematic Error
- “There’s no way that X [fill in with name of candidate] could win the election! Everyone that I know is voting for Y [fill in with name of other candidate].”
- "We surveyed over a hundred thousand people, so our study is definitely an accurate picture of how Americans think about science."
- "We asked students to share if they were sexually active with a show of hands, and almost no one raised their hand. So we know that it's rare at our school."
LEARNING GOALS
- A. ATTITUDES
- Often our contact with reality is mediated by measurement and quantification. We need to be aware that every measurement comes with some degree of uncertainty.
- B. CONCEPT ACQUISITION
- Systematic Uncertainty/Error: Differences between reality and our measurement that skew our results in one direction.
- a. Such measurements will show a consistent bias, that is, a consistent deviation from reality in one direction.
- b. Systematic uncertainty cannot be reduced by averaging a larger amount of data.
- C. CONCEPT APPLICATION
- Identify sources of measurement uncertainty/error that introduce statistical uncertainty/error, that introduce systematic uncertainty/error, and that introduce both.
- Suggest approaches to reducing or constraining measurement uncertainty (both statistical and systematic).
CLASS ELEMENTS
- Homework Questions
- One way to gather data about how people might respond to a product or idea is to conduct a “focus group,” in which several participants share their impressions in a group conversation. Based on the reading, why is or isn’t this a good way to obtain reliable information?