IB Biology Practical Investigations/Statistics

From Wikibooks, open books for an open world
Jump to navigation Jump to search

TEACHING IDEAS[edit | edit source]

Practical investigations or activities included in this section are intended as a teaching resource rather than an assessment tool. Although all practical hours recorded may be counted on the form 4/PSOW, these activities are probably not suitable for assessment of the IA criteria.


BASIC STATISTICS


Types of Data

  • Discrete and Continuous Data
  • Mean, Median and Mode
  • Standard Deviation


Graphs and Charts

  • Axes and labelling
  • Choosing the right graph
  • Interpreting Graphs
  • Distribution
  • Error Bars
  • Correlation and Causality


Statistical Tests



EXTRA STATS FOR ECOLOGISTS

It's not all just chucking quadrats about and wearing wellies...


  • Simpson's Diversity Index
  • Correlation



BAD SCIENCE AND THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE

Statistics in Science are abused on a daily basis to knowingly or otherwise misrepresent scientific data. How can students use their new-found statistical skills to see past the smoke and mirrors?

  • Bad Science
  • Common Errors in Statistics



RECOMMENDED TEXTS: STATISTICS[edit | edit source]


RECOMMENDED WEBSITES[edit | edit source]

  • BadScience - a collection of articles from Ben Goldacre at the Guardian newspaper.

OTHER RECOMMENDED RESOURCES[edit | edit source]